


Ellipsis

by ReadRabbit



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer, Underworld (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and sex, Dark fic, Eclipse divergent, Edward Cullen can go chuck himself, F/M, Gen, I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, I'm Sorry Victor Hugo, I'm a terrible person, Inappropriate use of venom, More warnings to come!, Multiple Selves, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Somewhat follows Underworld Canon, Suspense, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, To Be Continued, Tragedy/Comedy, Triggers, Twilight ruins everything, expect the unexpected, violence and torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 11:42:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16117694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadRabbit/pseuds/ReadRabbit
Summary: Bella is determined to find an answer why her blood is unique in the vampire world, but during her stay in Budapest, she catches attention from unwanted eyes far too interested in her work. Trying to run away from her past she accidentally crosses over into a world so very much like her own yet incredibly different, triggering catastrophic events to break every conceivable reality.





	1. Chapter 1

**_. • Ellipsis • ._ **

She sat concentrated on the slides in front of her, shoulders hunched over in an uncomfortable position, her pencil harshly grating against the paper of her notebook simultaneously as she tried to finish that night's workload. She ignored the clock's ticking on the wall above the door, screaming out as its hands changed with every minute that passed; it read  _2:32._

Bella sat up and cracked her neck a few ticks before the little hand completely encompassed the three. She gathered her notebooks and her other supplies from her station and settled them in the bottom of her duffel bag. She then stood up, put her protective glasses and lab coat in their respective assigned places, before exiting out into the hallway. She pulled over her dark grey wool coat haphazardly and threw her duffel over one of her shoulders. When she exited the university's doors, the chill of the night wind swept through her hair; she consciously tightened the sleeves of her coat, promptly tucking the ends of her fingers under her armpits.

She still hates the cold. She turned down an empty road towards her living quarters that happened to be off campus; at the time she moved, she found a cheaper place than the housing in the surrounding area, but it was more than an average distance away that she had to take a bus and a regular visit to the tube station to get home. It's been a decision she's regretted every moment since.

As she waited for a bus, she wondered (as she often did) what the hell she was doing in  _Budapest_  of all places.

This, of course, was more rhetorical, as she had willingly applied for the scholarship program that took her away from everything familiar, or anything that reminded her of  ** _them_**.

Despite Jake's best efforts, she still felt a certain hollowness on the inside that she couldn't shake off. So to make sure she wouldn't drown again in her depression, she kept herself busy enough with school and the other relationships she'd been neglecting. She made sure to make time for every person in her life, determined to be present in their lives as much as physically possible. Charlie was ecstatic with her improvement once she seemingly recovered from her zombie funk, and surprised her on her nineteenth birthday with a loan that helped put her through college in Seattle.

She started out with her degree in English, but as time went on she showed more interest in science and biology: specifically hematology and nuclear medicine. Since the incident with James, she had a growing curiosity concerning the effect her blood had on vampires, particularly her resilience against their gifts. Her aversion to blood never quite lessened, but she was able to ignore it to a certain degree. She was sure she would never want to perform surgery of any kind, but her curiosity soon turned into a  **burning**  need to know. That maybe there was some scientific reasoning behind  ** _them_** or any evidence besides her scarred wrist to prove that they had  ** _existed_** ; despite Edwards's attempt to show otherwise.

Of course, she couldn't tell anyone about her outlandish studies (not without putting herself at risk of being declared mentally unfit or worse wind up  ** _dead_** ), but she would never forget, that was certain.

In her second year, she found a scholarship program in Hungry that would give her more field experience in the form of a three-year residency at a university in Budapest. The school specialized in the field she wanted to study, having published advances of their research in publicized medical journals around the globe, earning great esteem to the individuals that graduated from there.

So here she was waiting one year into her studies at a bus stop, but fortunately, they ran all night in the capital so she wouldn't have to worry about paying the extra fare for a cab.

The sky was so clear that night, the full moon shining its face brightly on dark the dark streets, a rarity as it seemed to constantly rain there on most days.

 _Just like home_ , she mused begrudgingly.

**_. • Ellipsis • ._ **

She unlocked the door to her flat silently as possible as to not disturb the few neighbors she had, just the one above her, and the super who owned half a dozen cats on the first floor. She was on the fourth landing that had an easy elevator ride all the way up, something she was eternally grateful for hearing most of her coworker's horror stories about apartment walk-ups. Bella figures, she could have dealt with either, but lately, she was taking longer and longer hours at the lab, and her muscles ached plenty without the added stress.

She dumped her duffel on her single coffee table that also served as both the mail drop and dining table in her one bedroom apartment (if it could be called that with it feeling more and more like a shoe-box with every passing day). She made for her small kitchenette and started a new pot of coffee; she still had a few hours of studying to knock out before she would get some well-deserved rest. As she waited for the kettle to boil, Bella studied her belongings. Across the kitchen was her duffel on the table by the door, with one small love seat that faced a window. Underneath was a small bookcase that held all of her favorites like her copy of  _Wuthering Heights_  along with a few others by the Bronte sisters, stories from Victor Hugo, and love sonnets by Marlowe. Sitting on top of the cheap wood were a few photos of her with her mom and dad growing up, given to Bella when she first left to live closer to Seattle; the last one was a group photo when she hung out with Jacob's pack the week before she left, Billy had them all huddle in front of the rabbit for posterity's sake.

They shone with infectious obnoxious youth with their silly gestures and laughing faces; Paul and Jared hung off each other loosely as they struggled whose arm went over the other's shoulder; Embry pulled a face as he stood by Sam and Emily, who was safely tucked into Sam's arms with his head resting on hers; Bella herself was stuck in a pseudo head-arm lock with the Clearwater siblings, Seth almost smothering her to death, and Leah who scolded him for it like any older sister would. On Bella's right was Jacob, his arm slung over Angela Webber's shoulder- both discreetly looking besotted as possible in their new relationship, Jacob only having imprinted on her weeks before at Bella's graduation. She was happy for them, really. She loved Jake, he was her sun, but what she knew wouldn't work he eventually accepted, and apparently just in time when fate butted in.

She let out a sigh.

 _Fate_.

Bella wasn't sure to laugh or to cry at the idea. Once, she would have firmly believed that fate had guided her to  ** _him_** , to  ** _them_** , to become what she was always destined to be, a  _vampire_. Back then she'd had always felt like she wasn't born in the right skin, that she was the black speck in a flock of white sheep. When she met them, she knew she could  _shine_ , be better and more perfect than she could ever be as a human. But that choice was taken away from her a second time after they had gotten back from Italy; the exact moment when he said he wouldn't spend eternity with her as a  _soulless monster_.

Of course that time she wasn't going to let it be up to him, she proposed that the family put it up to a vote, try to make him see that she didn't  _care_  if she would 'lose' her soul, as long as she could be with  _him_  that it would be worth it. And everyone, except Jasper and Rose, were in her favor. Rosalie she could understand initially, being an almost constant victim to her barbs of distrust and hate, but later hearing her story about how she came to join the Cullen's sobered Bella's take on the blonde’s decision quite a bit. Jasper's was surprisingly hurtful to an extent; she didn't expect to feel a slight sense of betrayal as the words left his lips seeing as they have barely talked two sentences to each other, not to mention the horrific mishap that was her last birthday. She pleaded profusely to him that she did not blame him a single bit, but she could see he still had trouble accepting that fact. Later on, he said the outcome shouldn't rest on his vote, that he wouldn't take the choice away from her. But he told Bella that becoming a vampire meant losing a part of yourself that was integral to who she was at that moment. That it would take years, decades even, to find parts herself after her newborn phase but those pieces would never heal right. Esme reassured her that she would stand by Bella every step of the way, Carlisle behind her, and told her that no matter what that she was a part of their family.

_The vote over, Emmett gave a big whoop and swept Bella off her feet, spinning her in circles around the room. Alice had just announced that she saw that it would be her to change Bella when Edward smashed a fist into Esme's lovely dining table. Everyone's heads swung in his direction in surprise, for Bella so hard that it almost hurt, and watched as he stood up, his furious black eyes meeting Alice's glimmering gold. It took only a moment for Alice to scream "NO!" curling into herself, her vampiric eyes gleaming with tears that couldn't fall. Jasper rushed to her side, waves of calm and security filling the space as he desperately tried to comfort his waling wife. Bella panicked. Whatever Alice saw was terrible, and the hole in her chest from months before began to grow once more as she gazed into Edward's determined gaze._

_"That's what I'll do Alice. I've made my decision," he said coolly, his face completely unreadable and making an expression Bella has never seen before. She turned to Alice who was still weeping in Jasper's arms._

_"Alice. What did you see?" she asked apprehensively._

_Alice only shook her head and buried herself further into Jasper's embrace and shook violently._

_Carlisle stood in front of his son with his hand reached out onto his shoulder gripping tightly, "I cannot let you do this Edward, you decided you cannot live without her. I. Will. Not. Lose. You." he said in the most desperate tone Bella's ever heard him use._

_Edward barely even registered his sire before him, his treacherous gaze solely focused on the small seer._

_Alice shook her head, "He doesn't plan to end himself, he plans to **join**  them." she cried. Shock rocked everyone in the room for even the thought, it seemed, was inconceivable. Carlisle's face broke with despair as he looked back to his son._

_Bella suddenly grew numb._

_The pixie continued, "If anyone of us turn Bella, Edward will go to the Volturi and offer himself to Aro. Aro, in turn, will use Edward as leverage against us to join him or die." She finally brought her head up to meet Edward's gaze with equal hate. "Do you SEE?! All you will do is ensure that our family is destroyed while the rest of us are DEAD!"_

_Rosalie growled loudly and moved quickly, too fast for Bella's eyes to follow, but she was held back by both Emmett and Esme as Carlisle stood between both her and Edward as some sort of buffer._

_He spoke to the room as a whole as he said this;_

_"We MUSTN'T turn on another. This ends NOW. Edward, as your maker I command that you will NEVER turn yourself to the Volturi ever again, is that CLEAR?!"The order resounded in all of them as they awaited a response, then Edward rose his head to meet Carlisle's,_

_"I will only stay apart of this coven if she remains human, I WILL NOT take part in her murder. That is my decision." His statement was resolute._ **He will never sway** _, Bella cried internally until her despair leaked into streams down her cheeks. Esme cried out vocally and grasped her chest, as her heart were in pain, and Rosalie took this as her chance._

 **_"YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS BASTARD."_ ** _she exclaimed, leaping out of Emmett's hold, and rushed Edward, raising her right hand to slap him across the cheek._

_Once her hand made contact, his cheek visibly split with a loud crack in the air like thunder that shook Bella's brain harshly. He went through the wall into the next room, beams of wood that supported the foundations shook and plaster came off the walls, causing Bella to cover her head as it rained down on her. Glass could be heard shattering in the other room as Rosalie had already raced after him._

_The others were shaken out of their stupor and quickly followed. Esme grabbed Bella and ran her out of the house entirely to a glade in the outer reaches of the yard. Due to the unexpected trip, Bella was knocked out of breath and wheezed in the thin mountain air in sharp pants. Bella looked around dazedly in her new surroundings for the others until her gaze rested on the house on the other side of a crop of tall pines. Esme patted her back gently, trying to assist her to get her lungs back, murmuring soft words of comfort even in this horrible situation._

_This is all my fault,_ Bella realized _, it’s_ me _that's tearing them apart._

_It's me._

_It's **ME**._

_Oh my god._

_Why?_

_Why Edward?_

_Bella didn't realize when she was caught from falling on the ground, and how Esme was watching her worriedly or when she started babbling out loud to herself when Esme tried to reassure that none of this was her fault._

But it  **was** ,  _Bella thought brokenly._

_They could hear fighting from their position, but they couldn't see through walls, so they didn't know who had gotten involved in separating the two, who could get hurt. The sounds drew further away, and Esme grabbed Bella lightly by her shoulders._

_"The coast is clear, I'm going to move us now Bella so that we can get to your truck and drive you home. Alright?" she said sweetly._

_Bella wasn't even aware if she nodded before they had taken off. In seconds, they were inside her truck and Esme tore down their driveway._

_Bella didn't even bother with the seat belt._

**_. • Ellipsis • ._ **


	2. Chapter 2

_"The Volturi aren't supposed to be the villains, the way they seem to you. They are the foundation of our peace and civilization."_

― _Edward Cullen to Bella Cullen and Jacob Black_

* * *

**_. •_ _Ellipsis_ _• ._**

Bella groaned aloud when the alarm on her phone started to go off. It buzzed loudly beside her pillow, and she didn't even have the energy to move her hand and shut the damn thing off. The vibration on the material underneath her face upset her growing headache further, and her half-awake self stupidly tried to bury her head further into the pillowcase, only to make matters worse. Like a child, she kicked her legs out angrily out onto her mattress quite indignantly, her comforter tangling itself around her feet. Fed up- she slapped around the other side of the bed to look for the bane of her mid-morning existence, her body wiggling across her queen-sized mattress to the edge where it laid. She swiped at the screen several times before successfully pressing the 'snooze' icon, and immediately collapsed on her back into the mounds of fluffiness.

She breathed out through her nose with a big huff, her eyes closed. She had until noon to be at the hospital, and she gave herself plenty of time until then to get ready.

Bella laid there for a few more minutes, the morning light flitting through her curtainless windows bothering her behind her eyelids, justly deciding to finally get up with a sigh.

She swung her body over the edge of her bed and fell in an ungraceful manner, her legs still managing to cling to the sheets on her mattress.

"Ow."

 ** _. •_ _Ellipsis_** **_• ._**

She opened the locker labeled  _I. Swan_  and began to change out of her civilian clothes and into her scrubs. She was scheduled for the first half of her shift to make her rounds down in the ICU and the ID unit. It was her job to identify any potential diseases or poisons that came through the ICU, and on the rare occasion, assist in an emergency surgery when the need arose. But most of the time, she spent her time doing blood work. It was an even trade off as she got a closer look into her studies, literally speaking of course, and it kept her out of the spotlight for the most part. Still technically just a student, she really shouldn't have to worry about that, but her research was a delicate subject for her and she didn't need any hungry eyes peering over her shoulder- she had enough trouble with those already, although mostly looking a little lower.

Bella finished re-lacing her shoes and pulled her hair into a high ponytail to keep it out of the way. In the past, she always tried to go for the far more efficient tight bun, but today she shamelessly rushed to her station, ready to get the day over with. She made her way out the door and down the hall towards the lab, passing a few nurses and doctors on the way, before reaching the metal door that led to the blood lab. She scanned her keycard quickly, gaining immediate access, and made her way inside. It was nothing more than a windowless freezer, the temperature significantly lower to store the blood safely. She grabbed her lab coat off the coat hanger and walked passed one of the refrigerated doors storing the blood, the letters reading  _ **Ziodex Industries**_  on the cool glass, before sitting down on a stool in front of one of the computers. She logged-in to the hospital's database and pulled up her cases assigned to her that day and got to work.

…

The headache from the night before nagged at her temple as she stared down the barrel of a microscope, her eyes straining from the taxing work in the dark room. She switched slides and compared the patient's blood sample to a slide that contained a form of leukemia; it was negative. She would have to go back and compare the doctor's notes with her findings and inform them that their initial diagnosis was wrong. It was a common disease in children, and the child in question came in with a raging fever, vomiting, and an aggressive form of purpura on their neck and shoulders. It was one of the first things the doctor told her to test for after they isolated the symptoms and crossed off the other possibilities. She sat back up and took the blood sample to the lockup, and then back to the computer. As she sat down one of the tabs at the bottom of the screen blinked in a fashion. She clicked on it and waited for the results; it was a scan to see what trace elements were lingering in the blood. She was running additional tests in case she missed something: she had a suspicion that this was something more environmental seeing as some of the symptoms didn't fit the criteria, and were so severe from the onset.

It was about  _ **87% complete**_  when the door to the room opened to reveal another intern in scrubs and glasses by the name of Dr. Adam Lock, he waved to her in greeting and she politely nodded her head in return and focused back on the screen, trying to use its green light to block him from her view. He walked over to her and leaned over her shoulder to see what she was waiting for, making her uncomfortable by invading her personal space.

"Excuse me," she said blandly as she ducked passed one of his arms and headed towards one of the Hematology Analyzers that beeped, thank god, just in time for her to remove the tray and used it as an excuse to look busy. She was replacing the droppers in the machine that collect the blood when he spoke up.

"What are you looking for? I thought that this was an open and closed case?" he asked, trying to look interested in what she was doing- if his face was any closer to the screen, his nose would be flat against it.

"Cancer is never really a closed case, not yet anyway. And the diagnosis was wrong; it's not cancer."

She turned on the faucet on full blast, running the old tubes under hot water and soap before placing them in a container labeled hazardous along with her old gloves, so that they could be properly disposed of later.

He nodded like he agreed with her, likely not that interested either way and turned fully towards her as she sat back down, aggravated that she had to choose another stool farther away from her station.

Suddenly, as if sensing her mood, he backed up with a nervous smile and leaned on his forearms against the sterile metal table a good few feet away from her.

"I noticed I haven't seen you around since this morning when you came in and figured we could both take a nice break down in the cafeteria if you're not too busy?.."

Bella was better at hiding how awkward the situation was than he was, but her brow pinched just a bit and her mouth formed a hard line in agitation, "I don't know… I'm pretty backed-up right now…" she gestured to the computer screen that showed the other cases she still needed to process. She tried to make her face look alert and determined, but her exhaustion peered out through the cracks in her mask a little bit. "People are waiting for these…"

He immediately back peddled and waved his arms about in front of him, trying to recover some dignity.

"No worries, I'll be out of your hair. Just let me know if you need me to grab you a coffee or something, okay?" He stated concern and hope lining his voice. It was almost funny how desperate his attempts were if they weren't so damn pitiful. Still, she didn't want to sound like a bitch and reject him right off the bat, but…

"Yeah. Sure, maybe later or something" she replied just as awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck hoping he would go away.

His expression picked up right away- Bella's heart fell into her stomach, before waving as he followed his cue to leave, the heavy door hissing as it closed shut behind him.

Bella leaned forward dropped her head on the table, cradled by her arms, with a big  _thump_.

Of all the days that she just needed a break, she couldn't avoid Mike Newton Ver. 2.0 and get her work done peacefully.

Adam was nice and all, but she wasn't interested in pursuing anyone romantically at the present time. When she first met him his crush was less obvious, but now he followed her everywhere like a lost puppy. Hell- He wasn't even in her department! She was almost constantly reminded of her classmate a few years back that she couldn't quite unstick.

Hopefully, Adam would forget about her sooner rather than later, but she'd deal with it if she had to later on.

She picked her head up from its resting place and looked back at the screen that had the finished results. After a few quick seconds, Bella scanned the page and her eyes widened.

"Oh shit!"

 ** _. •_ _Ellipsis_** **_• ._**

Three pairs of eyes stared on from their thrones as they calmly awaited their guests. Aro's broad shoulders were positioned with perfect poise, his fingers neatly drumming against the cushioned arm. This was the only sound in the marbled hall as the three Kings laid in wait, their more personal guard standing along the shadowed walls and silently protecting their masters. The doors opened up and three figures flooded into the atrium, the figure cornered in the middle of the other two- desperately fighting against the restraints of the guard members.

His whines and growls echoed off the walls of the room as his struggle grew more and more futile. To any outsider, the more recognizable one of the two guards: with his large build and awesome strength- struggled against the newborn's own strength and trying to subdue the younger vampire by his shoulders. All of those in the room could hear the fracturing of bones and flesh under its pressure.

To regain control of the situation, Aro raised a hand toward one of the inner guards, standing to the left closer to the thrones than the others.

"Jane." He commanded.

Like a grenade going off in the room- vampire's screams cut through the air like a thousand knives and the torture continued on for several minutes; his voice becoming raw and indistinguishable in its throws.

He stopped his struggling as his body gave and fell to the marble floors, twitching uncontrollably. The guards flanked each side and brought him up to his knees, then grabbed both arms halfway up the shoulder and bent them far back causing his spine to arch upwards.

Aro waved for his prodigy to quell her gift, much to her displeasure, and signaled for the smaller of the two vampires to give their report.

The tracker bowed his head to the three kings as he spoke, "This is Oleg Anatolv, we found him and seven other newborns, all he claims to have created, hiding in the  _Carpathian Mountains_  outside the border of Slovakia and Hungry, confirming the claims of disturbances in the area."

Aro gestured him forward and took his hand, his milky eyes growing distant- moving to a movie reel only privy to himself. His gaze re-focused once more as he returned his guard's arm, and regained his imposing position on the throne.

"Thank you, Demetri, quite an  _excellent_  job indeed."

The vampire known as Demetri kept his head lowered as he bowed his body, promptly departing down the small staircase and resumed his post behind the prisoner.

Aro shared a discrete look with his brothers, before descending down the throne steps, each step taken overflowing with both aristocratic grace and resolute power.

" _Well, well, well_.  _My dear Oleg_. It has come to the Volturi's attention that another of our species has been creating themselves what we call 'packs' of small newborns- all across Europe. You, of course, are not the first  _as you might have been told_ , and were either ignorant or neglectful of the fact that you were gaining a growing amount of attention from the human media in regards to a chain of mysterious massacres surrounding your  _coven_."

He paced around the trio, using his hands to punctuate each and every word in his speech.

"Now it is our job as the Volturi, to keep the existence of vampires a secret to the outside world; it is in fact one of our most  _sacred_  laws _. Super Omnia Legis._ And the creation of newborn armies have been outlawed for centuries- in fact for that very reason; I wonder if your creator ever informed you of this?"

The vampire lay prone on the floor, unable to not listen, but equally unable to acknowledge Aro's words as the King himself knelt down to his level- Oleg could only groan, a pained garbled wail exiting out his mouth.

Their leader didn't have to order Felix or Demetri as they jerked the vampire's head to fall backward, revealing a partly missing jaw bone and gauged tongue.

Aro tsk'd disapprovingly at Felix: it wasn't the first occurrence of the vampire's violent temper and use of excessive force. He put it in the back of his mind to deal with at a later time.

"My poor Oleg, of course, you would not know these laws, as it would be a crime for  _her_  otherwise not to inform you."

Aro shook his head in what appeared to be defeat. "As you have already witnessed, such a crime is only punishable by death."

Oleg jumped at this, his stone pallor impossibly paling at the remark, and he thrashed around in his captors hold- Felix grabbed his mop of medium length dark curly hair and forced him to look at his master. Aro sat patiently, watching every emotion that swept over the newborn's face: fear, rage, despair, and the most exciting- love.  _Perfect_. This vampire not only bonded with his sire, but appeared to be infatuated with his creator,  _and_   _maybe even trusted_ , he was completely torn apart to his barest layer at the mere mention of  **her**  death. Most of this held nothing of value to him of course, they had already had their suspicions about who was creating the newborns, but what they lacked was  _evidence_. And this vampire's weakness was their gain, bringing them a step closer at putting out the spark before it turned into wildfire.

Aro grasped his chin, running his fingers along the seam inside his fractured jaw, drawing out a hoarse scream from the vampire, streams of venom running down his face and chin.

"Now Oleg, I will extract your memories from you I will need you to be patient with me. At first, it is quite...  _invasore._ If you resist, it can only be more painful for you, and a clear mind is better to read."

The prisoner only fought more at the warning, his body quaking with unrestrained power and desperation, small cracks shattering themselves at his shoulders and neck.

Aro firmly grasped his stubbled chin in a fierce hold and willed his gift to his fingertips.

Slowly, he immersed himself into the newborn's chaotic mind, a small sea of thoughts in comparison to the ocean of his own, but threw that thought away and sank further into its depths.

**He saw everything.**

…

_He sat in a sewer, watching the others consume their prey- fighting and ripping apart each other over the last few precious drops of blood. A mix of blood and venom pooled at his feet as he walked over to separate one of the newer ones. He growled and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into a brick wall while grabbing the older one's hand and breaking of his fingers. He was just a young boy who he changed a few months back, and though he clawed and bite at Oleg's hand, he was also thrown easily pass the woman and hit the paved wall with a sickening crack. Oleg took the boy's fingers in his hand, held them up curiously, and began to break each finger: joint by joint. The boy's screams in the tunnel sounded depraved and animalistic, and it gave Oleg a rush of sadistic pleasure. He walked over and dumped them in the woman's hands, straightened the lapels of his leather jacket, and went on to check on the others without a second glance, his hand completely unharmed._

…

**_And then the next_ **

…

_He marveled at the way his skin shone like a thousand rubies in the sunlight as he drained his latest victim, covering himself in their blood. His maker stood a small distance away watching him in rapt attention, her fiery hair complimenting his appearance like some old wives tale. He admired the way it flowed down the curves of her back in rivers, so sanguine, and he could feel himself getting hard. He sped up to her intent on ravaging her, until she swatted him away like some insect. He sailed through the air several meters across the glade. He stopped at an old tree, so thick he could not touch his fingers together if he wrapped them around the bark- and his powerful body split like an axe down its middle. He recovered fast and stood up, admiring the way her face contorted with fury as she marched towards him. She hit him again, and he grew frustrated and wondered if this would be a reoccurring event. He growled as he got up to fight this time, but then howled in pain as she bent him over his back and removed his left arm from its socket like she would a twig. She stood over him and dropped the useless wiggling appendage at his feet like an offering and glared at him._

" _Musíte být příště časovější."_ You have to be more in control next time _, she told him. "Nebo to nebude jen ruka, kterou ztratíte,"_ Or it won't just be an arm you lose

…

**_And the next_ **

…

_All he could feel was fiery, hot, searing pain- through his muscles, his veins, even his skull felt as if it were on fire. He screamed and screamed, his voice bouncing back at him like some demented opera._

_._

_He couldn't remember how long he'd been like this._  This must be Hell,  _he thought. He prided himself on being a cowboy, like in American westerns, and committed his fair share of crimes and immoral behavior. He would have laughed on any other occasion, but he couldn't breathe without screaming out and cursing the devil himself._

_._

_The pain was endless, his body broken a million different ways over, and over again. The only mercy he was given was that he could not see the demons who were tormenting his soul for eternity. He would have thought that they had gouged out his eyes, but they burned like two impossible suns lodged inside his sockets. His blood pumped faster to his heart and the pain multiplied itself tenfold._

_._

_Cold relief slowly flowed from every end of his body through his veins as his limbs became numb, and his head throbbed less. But all the fire seemed to only relocate to the center of his chest, and he clawed at his skin to rip out his heart. Shackles clamped around his wrist and a weight held sat down on his hips as he tried to buck them off. He was still blind and all he could hear was the beating of his heart until a voice spoke up._

" _Relax, je to skoro u konce."_

Relax, it's almost over

_He couldn't comprehend how a demon could sound so angelic, so peaceful, and he almost cried in his confusion. Whoever it was released one of his hands and gently caressed his cheek, the contact was the most sensual sensation he'd ever felt in his life, and he felt a single tear slide down his cheek before they caught it with their finger. They cooed at him like a child, and pet his head so that he may calm down. They murmured soft nothings into his ear._

" _Neboj se, nikdy tě neopustím."_

Don't fret, I won't ever leave you

…

_They both stood in an abandoned warehouse, she told him where their next rendezvous would be the last time, and he loyally followed her every command like a priest to his Goddess. Over the last year, she gave him more freedom telling him to create more of their kind and teach them their ways, saying she had to settle some business elsewhere. He pleaded her not to leave but she always promised him that next time will be the last time they part. And so it continued, he hunted for more followers, waiting for her return so that he could be rewarded for his patience, only to be abandoned again with the only hope of another promise. In his isolation from her, he wondered, was there someone else? He growled at the thought and swore to disembowel anyone else that touched her._

_She showed him a picture, it was a human, a girl, of no remarkable features. It was a graduation of some kind, as she wore an unflattering yellow gown that made her look unhealthier than she already was. She explained that the girl was responsible for the death of her past lover, that she wanted revenge. It tore him apart to have his insecurities confirmed that she may hold someone else in her heart. She reassured him that once they take care of the girl that she would put her past to rest so that they could truly be together. He didn't understand, why couldn't she kill a simple human on her own? Why did she need the army he had built for her? She said the girl had disappeared without a trace, and that the coven who killed her mate must be hiding her- that's why she came all the way to Europe. She told him that meeting him was her destiny, that he had a special ability to find things, and they were meant to kill this girl together. So that they could love each other for eternity. He believed every word she said._

…

_He and his troupe were hiding in the mountains outside of Hungry. He could feel something in the back of his head that told him that they were being followed, so he had made as many loops and turns back and forth as they made their way down to Budapest. A month back in August, on his way back from their meeting, he caught the most alluring scent he'd ever smelt in a crowded train station. He followed the scent to find its owner so that he could drink every last drop of their blood. Just as the last of the passengers climbed aboard, in the corner of his eye he caught the profile a brunette running past the closing doors just in time. His vampiric eyes only caught a glimpse, but the memory was still so clear; it was HER. He tracked her all the way to Budapest, but he knew he had to wait for his orders. And he very well couldn't take seven other newborns on a crowded human train without causing a headache. But as he ventured back to his temporary base he could feel he was being followed and cursed his luck. Hopefully whoever they were wouldn't catch up to them until he saw his sweet Victoria, and they could kill the girl without a fight. Besides- that's what the others were for right?_

…

In what felt like years to Aro was but a few seconds to the other Vampires in the room. He pulled out of the man's thoughts, humming whilst tapping his chin with his pointer finger. He stood and turned around, not quite paying attention to the sounds of Felix and Demetri tearing the prisoner apart. He just continued to pace around the room as Caius commanded the rest of the guard leave and let the three deliberate- the carcass being dragged off into the lower levels for later disposal. Caius rounded on him like a rabid dog, demanding to know what Aro saw.  _Poor Caius_ , always quick to anger because of being the one lacking a gift out of the three; Aro did not bother with pity, as it would not help the man who would always feel inferior. Marcus sat in his throne still uninterested in anything that goes on in their coven and has always been so since the death of his poor Didyme. Still, Aro told himself that he had his uses, and turned to the man practically slumping in his chair.

"What of the bond, Marcus?" He asked.

Marcus' slow eyes roved over towards the standing pair, his neck moving almost robotically and struggling with the movement. His burgundy irises despondent: dulled with time and sorrow.

"Nothing has changed," was all he drawled out and moved his head back to rest on his right hand. Aro resumed his quiet pondering, trying to put all of the pieces together, and Caius grew frustrated at their antics.

"What of it? It's nonsense! We're supposed to be tracking down the annoying she-devil, not fawning over your obsessions Aro!"

"She's moving west Aro and creating more armies. If we don't resolve this soon the Romanian Coven will catch wind of her and use her to their advantage." Marcus warned uncaringly.

"We should have killed her when we had the chance. Now our mistakes have come back to slap us in the face!" Caius added.

Aro paused in his walking, nonplused by Caius' accusations, and turned back towards Marcus, lightly ghosting his fingers over the man's exposed forearm.

"I see." Aro then sat in his own throne, and finally turned to acknowledge the fuming blonde.

"Don't stress yourself Brother, at least not yet. It seems as though our informant has some very interesting connections, as it were." Aro wouldn't show it outwardly, but he did concede that Caius was right. At the time of dispatching Hilda and her coven mates, they found out too late of the red witch's escape to the Americas, but it was decided that without a coven and exiled to the other side of the world, she was less of a threat and would let her live. They also used this as a reminder to Heidi, keeping her at their side on the condition that her remaining 'family' would not be hunted. Now of course Corin ensured her loyalty to the coven; they had no choice but to execute the woman to cover any liabilities that can be used against them because of their inactivity beforehand. Vampires around the world were becoming more and more unsettled in their solitude since the dawn modern age and needed to be reminded who had ensured the peace that has lasted millennia- the risk of exposure was too great.

Caius, of course, did not heed Aro's advice.

"Damn it all Aro! Just tell us whatever this is all about! I swear you're the most infuriating vampire I've ever-"as he continued on, Aro pushed the intercom button on a small table to his left and a few seconds later their latest human receptionist accompanied by another female vampire with long dark hair walked through the doors, both clothed in designer dresses and heals. He whispered a command to the vampire over Caius's continual shouts of anger, and the pair vanished for a moment before the vampire returned with a new guest. They could smell him from the elevator before they had stepped into the room, his lack of a good wash clearly evident. In the light, they all observed the rumpled clothing, the lingering patches of dirt covering his skin from lack of hygiene, and the posture he held that suggested this man had given up all hope in life, his head cast downward in penitence. Caius' attention diverted to the newcomer; with a sudden new interest, he begrudgingly quelled his anger for the moment as he sat back down in his throne and watched the scene play out with rapt eyes. Aro just ignored his behavior and studied the two vampires before him- even Marcus cut a glance towards the two and sat up a little straighter.

"Thank you, Renata. You may bring him forward."

With the utmost care, she gently guided the crestfallen figure to the base of the pedestal with one hand resting on his arm and another on his back. They stood there for a long period of time as Aro stared at the Vampire with an unknown feeling as if just by seeing this man would unravel this mystery. But as always, things were never quite so simple, even with his unique gift.

"Tell me, my dear friend, how is it despite reading your mind, that even now you still confound me?" Aro queried.

They all sat silently as the Vampire lifted his head towards the masters, Renata standing by his side discretely looking with worry back and forth between the Vampire and her maker.

It was Carlisle Cullen's face that looked upon them: his lips and ears were sewn shut, small cracks spidering away from every corner and incision, with unholy agony spilling from his eyes.

 _. •_ _Ellipsis_ _• ._

"Did you hear what happened today? There was a radiation leak near the nuclear plant, and a little girl was exposed."

"Oh my, I hope they contained it. There aren't many other hospitals to transfer to if there's an outbreak."

"No, no, they caught it early on. Apparently, some student caught it-"

Bella took a bite of her grilled chicken salad, politely trying to ignore the conversation of the two men a table away from her, and failing miserably. She stabbed at another a little harder than the last forkful as the conversation continued.

"- can't believe who they let work in the hospital. It's just dangerous, is what it is."

His friend tried to defend her, unbeknownst to him.

"But they caught it on time, even the doctors did notice anything!"

"And what if they  _didn't_? And worse I hear it was a  _woman_ \- shouldn't be allowed to put people's lives in danger with their  _hülyeség_."

"Aw- come on, don't you think you're overreacting?"

Bella scooted her chair loudly and got up, then threw her trash in the bin on her way out, not bothering to pay any attention to the shocked faces of her co-workers and headed to the woman's locker room to get a fresh shower. Afterward, when she was dressed down to her bare essentials (her bra and panties) she was drying her hair with a towel, when an intern poked her head in, then blushed and quickly turned away upon seeing Bella's indecent state. She called out for her attention.

"Hey Bella, the hospital chairman wants to see you in his office- He said it was urgent!"

She nodded her head, "Thanks Sacha, I'm heading there now."

The girl smiled awkwardly and waved back as she rushed out the door fast as humanly possible.

Bella walked over and sighed as she rested her head on the mirror above one of the sinks, still fogged up around its edges. She closed her eyes as she breathed in and out, willing the stress of her labors that day to exit her body. She opened them back up and stared back at the reflection before her; the woman in the glass looked worn and tired with dark circles under her eyes, her lips chapped, and slightly sharper cheekbones from her lack of nourishment. She put her right hand on the glass, smudging away the fog, and studied the faint scars on her arms and torso from the fight with James and from her birthday- including the  _bite mark_. Akin to falling into a trance, she pulled back her wrist- her fingers traced over the silvery indents and bumps on her flesh, the skin there colder than her other hand- or any other part of her body to be frank, sending a shiver up her arm to her neck. She was hit with another cluster headache and used her right hand to assuage her temple. She blinked away the lights and the fuzzy image in the mirror for a few moments and shook her head, focusing back on the task at hand to make herself presentable again.

...

"We got lucky you found this in time, Miss Swan. Were any of the other samples contaminated?"

Bella shook her head, hair still slightly damp from the wash she just received and was about to speak before one of the other doctors I the room interrupted her, "No chairman, we swept the entire wing, the only radiation contamination we found was with the patient's belongings. As you well know, she is being treated now as we speak sir."

He nodded his head, the white wisps on his own receding hairline falling with the movement. "Good, good. Even the smallest amount of exposure could have been disastrous for everyone in the hospital and its reputation." She remained silent biting her tongue. Clearly, it was more of an acknowledgment of the hospital's standing rather than her quick actions, and the other doctors in the room were eager to claim credit for their success.

He began speaking to some of the other doctors in the room, her existence easily ignored as she stood quietly in the corner. When the meeting commenced, she was asked to stay behind.

"Miss Swan, a moment please."

He gestured for her to take a seat in front of his desk and she obeyed. She was idly curious about why he wanted to speak with just her, as she held little importance to the hospital, and worry itched in the back of her skull.

Apparently, it showed more on her face than she would have liked when he just chuckled at her and assured, "No need to worry Miss Swan, you're not in trouble. I actually wanted to congratulate you on a job well done. It is not often we see such, how shall I put this, uh, professionalism in our students in the hospital. Most make a few mistakes here and there in the newness of it." He circled around the desk as he said this, using a silver-handled cane to assist himself sitting down. His accent was heavy, like most of the senior heads in the Hospital and the professors at the school, but underneath it held a regal elegance that transcended the capabilities of the English language. She briefly thought of a high ceilinged room, black and red cloaks,  _and a man in a tailored suit with the most unusual eyes_. She quickly banished the thought from her head, silently cursing herself for getting lost in such a memory, and turned her full attention to, for lack of a better word-  _her boss_. If he noticed, didn't say anything, and just gestured for her to take a seat.

He continued, "I must apologize for my colleagues, though most are good intentioned they are quick to show their fangs if threatened." It was a lame excuse for their behavior, but she sensed his apology was genuine and gave him a wane smile and gentle nod in return. His laugh lines broadened happily at her acceptance. She paused for a bit, weighing the situation, and took the risk of speaking first.

"If I may ask sir, what was it you needed to speak with me about?" She was puzzled, other than the official report- what could the chairman of the hospital want with a student? The possibilities in her mind were leaning more on the negative side of the spectrum, and she tried to ignore the unpleasant feeling building in her stomach.

"Right to the point! I like that! That's a very valuable trait in the right profession." He started, then realizing he was off topic and continued, "Before we get started, I have quite the secret to admit. I've had my eye on you for a while now, a bit longer than today's incident truthfully." He pinned her with his eyes, not in a grotesque way, but more analytical like studying the wingspan of a butterfly or a moth, still, she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "An older colleague of mine at the university brought up the thesis you submitted at one of our dinners, I apologize on his behalf, your theories on genetic evolution and viral cross-contamination just fascinated me and I pushed him for more details. I was hoping you and I could discuss it in person."

She was thrown for a loop, "S-Sir I don't have all the data with me if that's what you wanted-"He cut her off.

"No, no!" he waved both of his hands in front of him erratically, "There's no need for that. Actually, I had wanted to invite you to a fundraiser we are having for the hospital just after the upcoming conference. Many well-respected doctors will be staying in town to speak, and I thought that you could have a chance to pick their brains and make a few connections. Your study is something special that will attract more doctors to our hospital. In this instance, I am personally asking you to stay on officially after your graduation and continue your study. On top of which, I am prepared to give you a five-year grant to fund your research."

She sat there and gap7ed openly at him, before realizing her fault and snapping her mouth closed with a clap. She struggled to hide her embarrassment through her own overwhelming shock and confusion. He just smiled at her reassuringly and said, "Give it time to sink in and weigh all your options. I don't know what you have planned after you graduate, but I hope you consider my offer. You would be a gem for us to treasure."

She didn't know what to say, and just nodded mutely and asked, "When is the event?"

"A week from tomorrow, I will need your answer by next Thursday if you are willing to attend."

She got her wits about her, and they talked more on her thesis. She, of course, didn't go into detail, it relied heavily on her own private research and she didn't want to slip up on accident. Later, he let her go encouraging her not to worry herself too hard and just think it over. She took his kind gesture with a grain of salt as she walked out of the door thinking,

_What am I going to do?_

**_. •_ _Ellipsis_** **_• ._**

When she arrived home, Bella opened up her laptop and went to her email- immediately seeing the 12 emails her mother sent her telling her to skype her as soon as possible, and she rolled her eyes. She plugged in her dead phone in the USB port and snorted when she saw all the missed phone calls and texts. The last one read:

_**Renée Today, 11:17 PM** _

_**Bella, if your dead please call me at least! I really need to speak with you!** _

_**If you don't I'll tell your father to start an international manhunt to bring you home.** _

_**L,** _

_**Mom** _

Bella sighed and shook her head in exasperation at Renée's antics and opened up the window to Skype, waiting for to connect with her computer- with the six-hour difference Renee would be getting home from school as her job as a teacher. It rang a little longer than it usually did before it asked if she wanted to leave a text. Now a little more worried, Bella tried to redial her phone and waited again for her to pick up the call. Just when she was about to give up, a screen popped up and the faces of her mom Phil showed on screen. They screamed in unison,

" _ **HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"**_

Startled, Bella grabbed her chest in faux pain and stated, "And the last if you guys keep on scaring me like that."

Renée mock scowled at that and went on to scold her,  _"Well we wouldn't have to if you answered your phone. AND by rights, you scared me, **d**_ _ **aughter- who's half a world away not responding to any texts on her birthday**_ _. You had me worried!"_

Bella opened her mouth to defend herself when someone else cut her off- seriously what was with that today?

" _Don't mind her Bells, she's just grouchy from planning the big surprise."_

"Dad? Is that you?"

" _In the flesh. Except I'm still at work in Washington, but I wanted a chance to grant you a happy birthday."_

Bella laughed at the bad joke and felt a wave of love and homesickness wash over her. "Thank you Dad, it really means a lot."

" _Hey, where's my thanks? I planned the darn thing."_

Bella let out a chuckle and looked back at Phil and Renée, "Thank you mom, I love you guys."

She seemed content with the quasi-apology and moved on.

" _So what was holding you up so late? It's gotta be almost- what, 12 o' clock over there right?"_

Bella held up her phone in view, "Cell died, my shift at the hospital ran a little late today- so I just got home actually."

" _Honey, you need to be more careful. You're only 23, if you don't have your phone on you getting to your apartment like that is dangerous."_ He mom scolded her, again, for the umpteenth time. She was all out for Bella seeing the world, but that didn't mean her instincts didn't kick in every 5 seconds she was away.

"It was a one-time thing Mom, it won't happen again."

Charlie sighed over his line.

" _I'm with your mom on this one Bells, it dangerous. Just be a little more careful from now on okay? I don't want to call in the cavalry and pick you up."_

 _God, please let him be joking_. "Yeah, I got it."

Her mom butted-in again, " _So Bella, how is everything shaking up there? Find out when the next time we're gonna see you?"_

Bella laughed at her mother's attempt at the younger generation's slang, "Everything's fine over here, I, um think I should be able to get a flight for Christmas pretty soon."

" _Well you better, or we're kidnaping you. Gosh, we haven't seen you in over a year!"_ her mother stated.

" _And be sure to make room for both of us in that busy schedule of yours, Jake's been asking about you."_

Bella huffed, "You can tell that young father that the only thing he's got to worry about is raising his son and that I'll text him tomorrow." She told her dad.

" _It feels like you've been over there forever, can't wait for you to finally come home."_ Her mom said.

"Yeah, mom. Me too."

" _You look so pale, Baby you gotta go outside and get some sun and drink some Vitamin D."_

"Um mom, I'm indoors mostly and Budapest is almost partly cloudy all day."

" _I'm just concerned is all. I'm your mother, it's allowed."_

" _Have any plans yet after they let you go?"_  Charlie asked.

Bella debated on telling them the offer she just received but decided to hide her cards for the moment.

"Got a few offers, but I'm still waiting to pick which one I want to follow."

" _Good. At least it's just a couple more months away. Then you have a break until you finish that Ph.D. you want so badly."_

They spoke some more about little things, her mom's new job, Phil's retirement, and all the names Charlie had given Jacob's new kid whenever they came over to watch a game.  _"That kid's got a serious bite I tell ya._ " He said. Her mom said her goodbyes later on and logged off giving her and Charlie some more personal time on the phone. He told her little things about Sue's cooking and talking Seth about joining the police department. He mentioned the pack one or twice, still not aware of the tribe's secret and thought it strange how none of them moved on after high school, Seth being the most outgoing, but still chained to Forks.

She remained a little quiet after that, feeling a little guilty about the world her father stepped into unknowingly because of her. She was terrified every day that something might happen to him, and clung to the knowledge that Jacob's pack would protect him.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if someone would start looking for her,  _a flash of fiery red hair floating through the water or those red eyes that stared into her soul and only saw an abyss_.

They soon got off the phone after that with a short but meaningful goodbye. She stared at the screen wondering, really wondering, if any of them were really safe.

**_. •_   _Ellipsis_** **_• ._ **


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**_. •_ _Ellipsis_ _• ._ **

_Bella was on edge, pacing back and forth around her house waiting for any news from the Cullen's; after Esme brought her home she explained that she needed to go find Carlisle, and then left despite Bella's desperate attempts for her to stay. The gravity of the situation struck Bella like a stack of bricks, all of the stress and anxiety from the past year hitting her double, and she crumbled to the floor in a shaking ball of panic and tears. For the longest time she couldn't breathe, only just gasping shallow breaths of air and bunching her hands into her shirt. This couldn't be happening. Not again. She cried to herself, rocking back and forth with her head between her legs._

…

_Bella jumped in her skin when she heard Charlie close the front door behind him, then rushed to get up as he stalked over to her. He pulled her into a fierce hug and she stood there dumbly, unsure how to react. Half of her body was still in shock and the other half concerned for her father's wellbeing. She robotically raised her arms to return the embrace when he pulled her away abruptly holding her firmly by her shoulders at arm's length in distance._

" _What the HELL were you thinking Bells?! Jake called me and said you just up and got on a plane!"_

_Bella never heard him raise his voice at her like that, so his reaction to her short adventure jolted her from her numb stupor and she wiggled out of his firm grip._

" _Everything was fine dad, Al- Alice was with me the entire time." She tried to argue, the situation wasn't as severe as it sounded if you didn't know about the vampires. She winced._

" _I don't care who was with you! And two teenagers flying off God knows where, especially one who is MY daughter, leaving the country without permission or least of all a phone call-", He continued on-_

" _DAD. I HAD to go! Edward…" she swallowed the unwanted bile traveling up her throat at his name, the blade in her heart twisting itself deeper into the cavity. "He needed help, he- he was going to hurt himself, and I couldn't stand by and let that happen. Not to Carlisle, not to Esme, not to his family, and most importantly- myself! If I didn't stop him I would have always blamed myself for- for-", she choked back another sob, not knowing where her first love ran to, whether it be his demise or theirs._

 _Charlie threw his hands up and ran his fingers over his face. The overwhelming emotions lingering from Harry's Funeral closely followed by the fear and worry after hearing his daughter ran away from him –_ _**again** _ _\- bubbled so closely underneath the surface, that all of his training and service as a policeman could not save him from the onslaught. He turned his back to Bella and begun pacing across the foyer in frustration of his daughter's behavior._

" _No Bella, he threw away any understanding with you when he abandoned my child in that FUCKING FOREST!"_

_He breathed in quick sharp breaths, a true testament to his dwindling control._

" _You owe him NOTHING Bells. You hear me?_ _ **Nothing**_ _."_

_He rose his head to look at her face but she just shamefully ducked her head, new streams of tears dripping down from her cheeks to her chin. Feeling a small amount of guilt creep under his skin, he immediately regretted his harsh words towards his daughter. He tried to pull a few strands out of her face and she immediately scooted back at the brief contact. His gut twisted into knots._

" _You mentioned Alice taking you to him, did they bring you back?" He sighed. "Are they back in forks?"_

_Bella stayed quiet. He waited patiently for an answer feeling more and more like the villain, but it was his duty to protect his daughter even if it was from silly boys and broken hearts. Hopefully, she would forgive him for this._

" _Bella, if he's here, I forbid you from seeing him."_

_W-WHAT? "WHY?!"_

_He just continued, "You will not talk to him, you will not go to their house, any contact with your other friends in that family has to be supervised-"_

" _DAD! What are you talking about? You can't do this-"_

_Charlie slammed his hand against the wall, the sound reverberated throughout the house even overshadowing the sound of heavy rainfall outside._

" _I'm grounding you. You're grounded. And you'll stay grounded until you graduate- or to be frank, whenever I can trust you to keep yourself safe."_

_Bella met his eyes and she filched inwardly, it hurt to see the mixture of anger and disappointment directed towards her. His shoulders slumped down, his knuckles sliding down the paneling until his arm hung limply at his side once more. He breathed out what almost sounded like a sigh of defeat or disappointment- she couldn't tell anymore and turned around heading towards his room. When he reached the doorway, he turned halfway in her direction in the hall told her without looking in her eyes, "Bells... You're almost an adult, and I don't want you making any more stupid decisions alright?"_

_She just looked at him with a mix of hurt and confusion unsure how to answer, and he sighed once more before closing his door._

_She continued to stand in the hallway gripping her arms tightly, listening as he turned on the weather channel as he got ready for bed, her feet unable to move in any direction as her heart shriveled up inside her chest._

_..._

_The storm forecast for that night was spot on for once._

_Branches scrapped and banged against the walls of the Swan residence, heavy sheets of rain showering down its windows, and the wind roared in through the trees. Black thunderclouds enveloped the sky, and the dark shapes revealed in quick flashes of light looked almost dangerous in nature._

_She was sitting outside on the porch._

_The earth was damp with mud and the trees were covered in mist. A drizzle of rain spilled down her shoulders, her clothes recklessly drowned from the long exposure to the elements. She numbly sat on the wood steps, blinking away the rain from her eyelashes until they continued to trail down her face. She didn't feel and she didn't think- she just stood up and walked barefoot through the torrential weather with her keys in hand._

_The door of the truck closed with a muted clap- the sound almost drowned out by the thuds on the windshield's exterior. Her limbs felt ghost-like, she could barely tell when her fingers clasped the carved metal in her hand and turned the engine on with the ignition. Her hands were there- completely whole and lurid, but they were almost foreign in the environment which they existed. The ghost limbs' movements were unrushed and methodical, but she couldn't see a destination in mind as she pulled out of the driveway. She just drove along the dark road._

_She turned off onto an old forest road with overgrown brush and trees, the jutting rocks branches scraping loudly against the sides of the vehicle. Goosebumps on the back of her neck rose as she shivered. Her heart raced with something she suspected was anticipation- or was it fear? Her mind was a blur and made it hard to focus. She gripped the wheel until her knuckles paled white._

_Up ahead she was forced to pull the truck to a rocky stop when something collided with her front wheels. Bella pushed the driver's door against the tree pinning it on the other side and then growled in frustration as she opted to climb over the passenger's seat. Her feet turned to ice as they sunk into the mud and her breath caught in the cold air outside as the rain pelted off her shoulders. She moved forward numbly recognizing the large fallen branch jammed underneath the wheel well of her truck, before venturing farther in the barely visible beams of the headlights._

_She pushed through the bushes and ducked under shadowed branches until she could no longer see any of the incoming obstacles in front of her, causing her to stumble a few times in the growing dark. Somewhere in the back of her mind, something itched- like a memory she couldn't recall or the eerily familiar feeling in her gut that she couldn't fully grasp._

_It was a while until she parted a grouping of vines before she fell into a small clearing. Her knees hit the ground with a sharp thump running through her bones, soft wet grass only just barely cushioning the fall from any potential damage. The stars were clear above the canopies of the tall pines, allowing her a glimpse of the moon-drenched area. Although the ground was undisturbed, nature had obviously re-claimed the land, her mind desperately clung to the thought that it was missing something. Looking into its empty void she pinched her brows in puzzlement, feeling whatever hope she had of finding what she was looking for drop forcibly into the depths of her stomach. She suddenly couldn't breathe and then felt drops of water hitting her cheeks yet again- she reached out a hand in the air but did not feel the kiss of rain. Bella brought the hand to her face and lightly brushed the tears away in confusion, not able to explain why she felt what could only be described as despair._

_The air shifted and every nocturnal creature in the glade fell silent. The sudden stillness of the picture caught her attention and she stilled her frame. She listened intently to her surroundings behind her for any sign of disturbance- There. Her blood chilled in her veins and her limbs froze at her side. A seemingly soundless snap of a twig sounded loudly in the air and she choked on her own breath, too scared to move a single inch as the sounds of predatory footfalls inched closer to her back. She instinctually knew whatever the noises belonged to was watching her just a few paces behind the tree line._

_It was almost impossible to catch, but she felt the barest feeling of hot moist breath breeze the hair over her shoulder just a_ tad  _over to the right._

_All noise stopped, and she could feel her heartbeat pause in anticipation-_

_..._

_Bella sat up gasping for breath in her bed with sweat pooling down her every pore. Her body shook in postpartum terror from her nightmare and sunk back against her headboard as she tried to reel back in her capability to inhale oxygen. She felt a hand on her leg and screamed girlishly, practically jumping off the bed with such amazing speed that would have impressed her any other day had she not nearly peed her shorts._

" _Woah, Bella! Everything is okay. I'm not here to hurt you." Alice explained as calmly as possible, not trying to spook Bella as much as she apparently had again._

_Bella just stood in the corner of her room between her lamp and the window, her brain trying to register Alice's presence in her bedroom. She stole another couple of deep breaths, idly wondering if her heart would ever recover from its most recent trauma- because she felt that if someone else jumped out from her closet, it would surely kill her._

_She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Alice, what are you doing here?"_  In my bedroom,  _she added in her head but kept that barb behind her teeth_.

 _Alice just gestured to her incredulity with an exaggerated wave of her hands, "I was here to make sure you were alright Bella! I was downstairs keeping tabs on you just in case Edward made a decision, and then I heard your heartbeat escalate. By the time I showed up you were thrashing and screaming and I tried to wake you up, but you_  attacked  _me." She said the last part a little jokingly to lighten the situation, but the worry in her eyes was too palpable. Then it morphed into disgust. "Bella, just what have you been_ _ **doing**_ _? You're covered in dirt!"_

_Bella looked down at her clothes and jumped a little at the sight. The hem of her night shorts and camisole top were caked in dried mud, along with her feet and the majority of any skin exposed along with her arms and legs. She ran a thumb along one of the splotches, smearing it across her arm as Alice inched carefully to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. She then guided Bella to the bathroom to help her wash up and sat her on the counter with the lone sink. She tossed a look into the mirror to examine herself further as Alice busied herself in the task of searching for suitable cleaning supplies. The smudges had traveled as far up as her face, ghosting across her right cheekbone and forehead, and her hair was crinkled as if it were left to air dry. She spotted a few dead leaves and needles in the tresses and began in-haste to remove them._

" _Bella, you never answered my question. Just what were you doing? And how did you do it? I never saw you leave the house!" she demanded as she washed away the grime on Bella's arms with warm water and a washcloth. Bella just looked at her arms, lost in a daze until she felt a hand on her cheek. She looked up at Alice's imploring gaze and felt nauseous. What did she tell her? That her dream was becoming less and less than what it was? What was even_ _ **real**_ _? Grasping at straws, Bella sputtered out the best lie she could come up with on the spot, praying to any gods at present that her friend wouldn't catch on._

" _After Charlie went to bed last night I stayed up to watch the storm outside. I- I guess I just stayed outside too long and was too tired to notice my clothes when I came inside." She knew it was a reach; she looked like one of those wild-children you see on the news that were raised by wolves._ Bad example _, her mind whispered back to her causing a sharp pang in her chest at the reminder of her friend. Ex-friend?_ The one she  _intentionally_  left behind _. Alice just looked at her with almost disbelieving eyes, not buying her story in the least bit but was still at odds seeing Bella's current condition. Bella, desperate for the attention to be directed anywhere else but her, grasped onto the next best thing her mind could come up with._

" _Where's Charlie? You said you were downstairs." She queried. From what she could recall he went straight to his room after their argument. Another pang of guilt hit her in the chest and she tried not to let the tears well up in her eyes. Alice just shook her head, "He stayed the night over at the reservation; I overheard him speaking with Billy Black over the phone. But I haven't seen anything else, those foul-smelling mutts keep blocking my visions." Wait, that didn't make sense. He never_ left _. Bella tried to recall more events prior to waking up, but the harder she tried the more her head hurt. She rubbed one of her hands at her temple, careful not to get some of the dirt underneath her fingernails in her eyes. But the memory of his door slamming closed was clear as day in her mind- "No. I saw him go into his room- I would have heard him leave." She said almost desperately._

_Alice placed both hands on her shoulders forcing Bella to look up, well down, at her._

" _Bella, what are you talking about?" she asked._

_Bella's brows furrowed even further._

" _What do you mean?"_

_Alice almost looked scared, if that was even possible._

" _Bella. There was no storm- It hasn't even rained for_ weeks _."_

_The shock of her statement made Bella numb._

" _ **What**_ _?"_

**_. •_ _Ellipsis_ _• ._ **

Music blasted in her ears as she ran up a small flight of stairs in the mid-day sun, her sweat cooling her skin slightly as she made a turn around the corner of the local deli by her apartment. Her feet bounced off the ground in rhythm with her swinging ponytail. Her lungs burned with near exhaustion, in a good way, as she forced herself to push on faster as she neared the last lap of her run.

Bella turned another corner and wove her way through a throng of people passing by in the busy street. No one said anything to her as she kept up her pace as politely as she could without bumping into anyone. On her left, she saw an opening in the crowd and made a quick beeline in that direction. About two feet away from her destination a towering figure blocked her path, and she was forced to quickly improvise her orientation as she swiftly shifted her torso to be parallel to theirs. At the last second, he turned straight towards her, causing her right shoulder to ram right into his. The familiar sensation of hitting a solid wall made her gasp softly, and the rush of pain blossoming in the sensitive tissue was hard to ignore while she tried to stop her propelling momentum to the ground. Once she was able to right herself, she paused in trepidation before turning back to the gentleman to give him a shaky smile and a proper apology due to her own klutziness.

"I'm so sorry about th-"

And he was no longer there.

"Great."

She let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head before going back to her exercise, but a little slower this time being a little more self-conscious with her surroundings and her burning muscles that hurt more now that she made a stop. She ignored the compulsion to rub the area that made contact with the mysterious jerk and the feeling of electricity that ran through her veins. Soon, she was just another blur in the colorful street and disappeared into the crowd entirely.

On the other side of the road, the figure continued to walk in the opposite direction, mindfully aware of the girl's fleeting presence.

…

Bella groaned as she shut the door to her apartment, her muscles finally giving up on her as she lazily slipped off her shoes and threw them god knows where. The elevator was still in the process being fixed by the operating company that should have been finished last weekend. She quickly untied her pony and rain her fingers through her hair as she made her way to the bedroom. Her phone and headphones were deposited with the remains of her clothes before she opened her bathroom door and put the hot water in the shower on blast.

She quickly looked in the mirror before going in and frowned at the forming bruise on her shoulder, rubbing the area as she pulled the curtain back and stepped under the water's streams. Bella moaned out loud as the water massaged her sore muscles and tendons, and once again ran her fingers along her scalp. As she raised her right arm the swollen area throbbed with the movement and she winced. She turned to let the water spray over the sensitive area bringing her wrist into view. Her eyes traced over the silvery marks once before shaking her head and moving to wash her hair. It was so long ago and she wouldn't let it bother her now. But as she thought this, the skin around the scar felt even more noticeably cold under the hot water, aching just a bit like an old fracture. Bella ground her teeth in annoyance and tried to ignore the sensation as best she could until the steam started to give her a headache.

She climbed out of her shower tub with little grace and toweled herself off as she ambled around her room for new clothes.

When she turned to her bed for her phone, she spotted a new notification on the screen and picked it up to get a closer look. It was from a protected number and they didn't leave a voice message. Typical. She harrumphed and strolled to the kitchen to fix herself a light lunch, passing by her laptop on the table just as it let out a small PING that made her jump out of her shorts.

Heart racing, she set her phone on the counter by the coffee pot and journeyed over to her small loveseat to sit down. Running the pad of her thumb across the mouse pad she typed her passcode and opened the background before running the cursor over the inbox icon. Bella scrolled through several messages before she spotted the one that grabbed her attention. She immediately recognized the sender and stiffened. Why would they be contacting her now, after all this time? She warily moved over the email and opened the new message. Her heart skipped a beat when the saw the words and squinted her eyes to make sure she read the message right.

_**Th*y a4e cmi9*%\ 40r 8 &!?** _

The text was barely legible and the data seemed to be corrupted when suddenly the screen started to faintly glitch; Bella, like any reasonable adult, hit the sides until the defect was squished into oblivion, but it only exacerbated the problem until the entire screen was encompassed in black and white snow, the whir of the cooling fan growing louder in tandem with the high pitched white noise emitting from its speakers. The bottom of the laptop grew unexpectedly hot and Bella hastily stood up, dropping the hunk of plastic on the floor as she rubbed her bare legs. The whine of the computer got louder and Bella steadily backed away from the device, concerned if the poor technology was going to blow up on her.

Then, as fast as it started the screen shut off and the loud buzzing abruptly stopped. The metaphorical scratching of her head commenced as she stared at her linoleum floor in paranoia.

What the hell was that?

Bella sat down on the edge of her sofa trying to piece together what just happened in her mind. Did someone try to hack her computer? No, that didn't quite fit. She could hardly believe someone could blow up her laptop without coming inside of her apartment. Did that mean someone had been in here? She launched herself into the kitchen and came back with a pair of oven mitts and carefully examined the broken laptop. The screen was blank only showing the reflection of her face and she tried holding down its buttons to turn it back on. Nothing happened. She turned the device over and removed the back cover; she discovered the battery blackened by some sort of short fuse, melting the surrounding frame into one cohesive hunk of metal and plastic.

Bella set it down in the sink, which to her at the moment seemed the safest place at the moment, and moved over to her phone debating whether or not she needed to call the police. She idly scrolled through messages before it dawned on her to re-check her email. She immediately opened the app and double checked her inbox and trash folder, but ultimately came up with zilch. Her most recent email was on Monday and she couldn't locate the two eerie messages she just received only moments prior. After taking a moment to properly think, Bella dismissed the idea of calling the local police. One; they would either see her as some needy American girl vying for attention or Two; try to dig deeper into her private emails and learn certain things she did  _not_  want them to.

The second option was dangerous, and she, in fact, was the only person to her knowledge that knew that email even existed.

She wondered what  _ **they**_  could possibly want with her.

Given her current standing with her past, Bella couldn't eliminate the possibility that the ominous message and destruction of her melted laptop were in fact connected, which worried her tremendously. Then the thought occurred to her:

_Someone was in my house._

Completely spooked, Bella grabbed her work bag and got the hell out of dodge.

…

She walked through the third level as she made her way to chart for the day. At the counter, she greeted the emitting nurse and looked through her case chart- other than a few standard blood tests and toxicology reports needed to be made she was going to be left to catch up on her research tonight it seemed. She thanked the nurse, Katarina, and turned down the hallway to her lab to get started on her work.

A few hours later into her work, she took her scheduled fifteen minutes to travel to one only working vending machines on the first level in the ER. It was rather empty that night with only a few stragglers laying in their cots and a skeleton crew staff. She passed and nodded at a few familiar faces and hurried to retrieve her reasonably priced midnight coffee and Famous Amos cookies without being caught by certain individuals on her 'blacklist'.

Arriving at the machine, she dug around her pockets for spare change and pressed the desired selection on the well-beaten pad, and the gears made a loud groan as they pushed out the plastic through its coils. She tapped on the glass impatiently with a drum of her fingers, internally counting her Latin proverbs backward, when down the hall someone half-yelled her name trying to be courteous to the other occupants. She cursed loudly inside her head as she spotted Adam and another fellow she hadn't had the pleasure to meet yet following closely behind him as they honed in on her location like bees to honey.

Trying not to be rude, she turned her body towards the pair to give them her full attention as she waited for the slow machine to spit out her food. She gave them her trademark Bella smile, only lifting up the corners of her mouth just slightly and kept her expression as neutral as possible in an attempt to hide her irritation. Adam smiled towards her like his ass had just seen the sun for the first time and the friend- or acquaintance? Stood awkwardly behind him looking just about as uncomfortable as she was when forced to be Adam for prolonged periods of time. Adam opened his mouth and words spilled out.

"Hey Bella, it's not often we get to see you down here. Getting tired of sitting in a freezer all night?" he asked coquettishly, straightening out his glasses and leaning in a little too close for her personal comfort.

"No, I was just grabbing a coffee and a few snacks to take with me before I head back up to the Lab." She tried to answer casually as she tucked her hands inside of her coat pockets. Bella wondered how long this encounter would take. Adam gestured back to acknowledge the other man's presence and turned to her as he said,

"Well we were just heading to the cafeteria ourselves to grab something, you can join us if you'd like?"

She retreated, "I don't want to impose-"

The other gentleman waved her off in mid-sentence.

"Its fine, we were just taking a small break before we're needed back in the ER." He didn't seem to be as insistent as Adam and he kindly introduced himself offering his hand out for her to take.

"Michael Corvin- A new resident," he said and she returned his handshake with a small nod.

"Isabella Swan- Student." She waited for a remark but he seemed to just accept the information without making a big deal about it, a small part of her sighed in relief. Then she weighed her options; A) Politely decline and sulk upstairs without her caffeine boost, or B) Accept their offer and sulk quietly with the added warm comfort. She gave up and chose the latter- she was already lagging as it was and she knew she couldn't avoid Adam's friendly attempts at conversation forever. Besides, she was safely out of bounds as the third wheel right?

Sensing her acquiescence, Adam grinned yet again and led the trio to the elevators to the cafeteria level. He and Michael talked on and off through the ride about different topics and she tuned herself out until they reached the double doors.

...

Upon reaching the Cafeteria Bella quickly sat down and waited for the other two silently chewing on her snack as the other two paid for their meals. The café didn't have the luxury of normal lunch tables, but instead incorporated small intimate tables comfortably seating two around the spacious room, so she was forced to huddle her goods closer to her corner as the duo set down two twin grey lunch trays. Michael threw her yet another apologetic smile as he sat down to her right as Adam broke apart his utensils across the pair. The aroma of their food was a little overwhelming, as both men ordered what looked like another variation of a classic meatball sandwich and would be a very messy choice to eat for two doctors. After taking a few cursory bites, Adam was the first to speak up.

"So as I was telling Michael over here, this Hospital is very popular in inviting students from the University to study their practice, and it's not often we get a lot of American doctors…" Bella quickly picked up the conversation.

"No, they don't. When I moved over here, I immediately had to learn some of the languages used here so follow my classes and buy the right dish soap."  _Stupid thing to say; it really was a given for anyone suddenly deciding to live in a foreign country_.

Michael nodded as he chewed and swallowed. "If I may ask, where are you from originally?" He reached for a napkin in the middle and wiped off his mouth.

Bella paused before answering, "…I lived in Phoenix for a while before moving in with my father and later graduated from Washington State. You?"

"Jersey and Philly mostly, but I came to visit my grandfather here a bit as a kid. It's nice to be back."

Bella nodded politely and snagged another cookie and sipped from her coffee. Adam butted back into the conversation and the two males seemed to forget her presence entirely, briefly giving Bella hope that she could sneak away…

"So Bella, I heard down the grapevine that you're invited to the Hospital's fundraiser tomorrow night, gotta date?" He smiled flirtatiously with a small amount of carefully hidden curiosity shining in his eyes.

Bella choked a bit on a small piece of chocolate chip and tried to reign in her shock at the blunt question.  _She shouldn't be shocked really_ , she thought as she patted her chest and finished off her coffee,  _it was bound to come up eventually._

"Yeah, the chairman invited me as his guest for the evening. Though I'm not sure I'm allowed to bring anyone along…" she stated elusively trying to avoid the topic altogether. Then she realized what that sounded like and quickly followed, "I'm just shadowing him for the evening to make connections."

Michael seemed to sense her growing unease and jumped in to rescue her much to her relief.

"Wow. Getting invited to one of those things is pretty prestigious, especially for a student!" His praise made her blush in embarrassment a little and she shrugged her shoulders.

"All he said was that the Hospital was interested in my independent study and wanted to attract better doctors and investors. I'm sure it's just the one time anyway." Brushing off the importance of the event. She was just plain old Bella who hasn't even graduated medical school yet… Surprisingly Adam spoke up

"No, it isn't Bella. They're interested in you, or otherwise they wouldn't have even bothered in the first place," he leaned in a bit, "This is like, the golden egg for students. Introducing a student at one of these things means they expect a lot from you! It's your ticket up! I bet they will even save an opening for you the moment you graduate." He waved his arms around excitedly with enthusiasm shaking the table a little before he calmed himself down. "This kind of thing hardly ever happens."

Bella silently considered his words and briefly wondered if they were really that transparent. Should she take the offer that was being given to her and stay here in Budapest? She flicked her eyes around the room taking notice of other doctors and visiting families. Did  _everyone_  know?  _In the small part of her cranium where she stuffed down all of her social anxiety, the beast moved a little and then raised its ugly head_ ; she shivered. To her knowledge no one had found out about her involvement in the radiation poisoning case, but would they now suspect? She didn't want that kind of exposure. She hated the spotlight and she knew with more eyes on her that someone would come sniffing around in places they shouldn't.  _That would be disastrous_. The implications alone… But, then again, if she refused their proposal she would get virtually nowhere in her research. She  _needed_  the funding. Some of those resources would not be available to her within her budget if she was forced to go elsewhere. She would have to stop and she would be nowhere. Her entire career hinged on this project,  _she did not know what she would do if her plan failed_.

"What happens, happens." Her response was aloof and almost unreadable as she cleaned up her trash and stood up. Adam and Michael hastily grabbed their things as well and made for the trash cans not far behind her. Once they were done she turned to Michael and held out her hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Corvin," She shook his hand in his firm grip as he returned to pleasantries. Bella smiled faintly at the pair, actively ignoring Adam's outstretched hand, and waved goodbye before she left for the elevators.

"I never had a chance with her," Adam grumbled out lowly.

Michael just set his mouth in a straight line, trying to hide his humor, as he shook his head and patted his co-worker on the back.

"Not in this lifetime."

**_. •_ _Ellipsis_ _• ._ **


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

Natura valde simplex est et sibi consona

_Nature is exceedingly simple and harmonious with itself –_ _Sir Isaac Newton_

* * *

**_. •_ _ Ellipsis _ _• ._ **

Bella stared at the mess of fabric that sat on her bed. Which should she pick? There were too many options! She nervously bit at her nail buds as she lifted a simple navy dress embroidered with small silver leaves and flowers that curved at the neckline in her left hand, and shifted the off-white chiffon dress with off-the-shoulder capped sleeves and a shimmery flowy-like skirt next in her right in comparison. Both ended at the knees which only left her arms and calves' exposed for inspection. Was the blue dress elegant enough for the occasion, or was the chiffon too flirty? She was going to an event with her potential boss for Pete's sake! She needed to impress but at the same time didn't want to come off as some hussy. Her stomach curled inside of itself. The thought alone made her want to vomit. She tossed the offending garments back down on her comforter and sat unceremoniously on the tangle of hangers with a frustrated groan. Bella buried her face in the palms of her hands and half yelled-half grunted in defeat, her nerves shot and constantly beating herself for considering the opportunity in the first place.

Her phone rang in the background, prompting her to crumble into her mattress trying to hide away from the little demon under the disorganized contents that lived in her closet.

The phone rang again and she let it go to about the third ring before a hand fished its way through the pile, feeling around the small nightstand until it grasped around the rectangular device. She brought the screen up to her face reading the Contact ID, making a face as she pressed down the green button.

"What do you want?"

The words muttered in a deep growl were muffled under several different blouses and pencil skirts, and to anyone else it would have sounded akin to something closer to their dishwasher rather than a distinguished  _young lady_.

This individual, however, used to such treatment.

"How come you haven't been answering my calls?" They accused. There was an echo in the background, and she narrowed her eyes in the darkness that surrounded her; the damn bastard had her speaker.  _So Annoying_.

"I answered you didn't I?" she bit back, she wasn't in the mood to reprimanded by a  _kid_. You could measure the difference in maturity between the two in  _ **lightyears**_.

"Yeah, like on the hundredth try! I haven't been able to talk to you since Angela and Emily dumped Sebastian and Jamie on me last weekend for some vacation down in San Diego. They got back yesterday blabbing on about some punk band they were stalking or something. Happy Birthday by the way. Not like you care that I care anyway. Did you hit up any fancy European clubs and find some creepy European guy to shag in a dark corner?" As they said this she could hear metal hitting metal really close to the phone, and she guessed he was in the garage fixing something. When she still lived in the States, nine times out of ten that's where she would find him covered head to toe in grease. His current tone was mocking and completely unapologetic, making her seethe further in anger.

And so sometimes Bella would trip and fall down to his level. "What I do in dark corners with creepy men is my business!" she growled out flashing her canines at the sequined skirt laying over the left side of her mouth. She spat out the threads as they constricted her source of oxygen.  _Stupid skirt. Why do I even_ own _any clothing?_

She reflected on her thinking for a moment.  _I swear I can_ hear _my brain cells dying._ She groaned and rubbed her forehead in mental exhaustion.

"Uh huh. And one day, Angela is going to force me to read one of your books about all your pent-up sexual virgin frustration when you lived in Transylvania."

"I live in  _Budapest_. It's like, in a totally different country moron."

"Whatever. I'm still right about the other thing. You need to get  _laid_."

Bella scoffed as she escaped from her enclosure and began putting away various articles of clothing. She left out the blue dress with a nice cropped suit jacket made of intricate black lace patterns and two-inch closed-toed glossy black heels. She walked over to her vanity in her bathroom and shuffled through her very small collection of jewelry. "Seriously Jake, you better not have called for details about my sex life. I'm not discussing it with you-  _it's private for a reason_." She settled on an ornate silver Turkish Nott she bought for herself on her first birthday away from home and small hooped earrings; something very simple but that also slightly elevated her outfit into the realm of formal dinner wear. It was actually a favorite piece of hers, and she was saddened when she couldn't wear the piece more regularly due to her work and school.

"Geeze, take a chill pill. Just wanted to check up on you Loca. Charlie said you were getting buried under your school work, and I know that my voice is heaven to your ears since you probably haven't had any human contact in that fancy school of yours."

"Don't delude yourself. Angela will come crying to me when your head mysteriously falls off its shoulders due to its added weight."

The familiar roar of an engine cut off both speakers as Jacob revved it a few times listening closely for any kinks. The sound was shut off quickly, so Bella assumed he was satisfied with his work as she listened to him exiting the old garage.

"Was that your old bike I was hearing" she inquired, the sound was unmistakable to her ears as she hung out around Jake enough after her stint in Italy, abet at a safe distance as he refused to let her near anything with moving parts. No amount of the pouting she'd attempted seemed to change the shifter's mind about her own suicidal-thrill seeking behavior.

"Yeah, Quill and Paul wanted to take them out for a spin, and one of the fuckers decided to play chicken as a fucking  _wolf_. They brought back my baby in pieces." He sounded as if he had lost his first born, but Bella didn't mention it as she preferred not to be witness to another speech on the relationship between a mechanic and his bike.

"Aw, poor Paul. I'm assuming he was the genius behind the operation?"

" _That dick didn't even have a fucking scratch on him_." The words were laced with so much venom Bella was worried that the werewolf would end up crushing the phone in his hand. Eager to change the subject, Bella tried to lure her short-tempered friend to a lighter conversation.

"So how's Ang' doing? She's about to graduate soon right?"

Bella's eyes almost rolled into the back of her head as she could practically hear the sunshine pour out of her best friend's ass when he talked about his fiancé. The smile that split across her face at the action was another matter entirely.

"She's great! She's been helping out around the Rez' preschool after one of the caretakers broke a leg or something. We think she wants to take up an official teaching position there with the first graders to avoid her loans. She's stressing out over taking the classes way over in Port Angeles or whatever, but she still finds time with me and Seb. I don't know how she does it. I mean it's just… She's Amazing!" Bella laughed at his moonstruck attitude, inside feeling that small curb of envy that she stomped down until it was a nonexistent pile of mush. She didn't have time to pursue such feelings.

"You guys sure do sound like you're happy." Dammit, that came out wrong. Jake quickly picked up on her tone.

"Are you okay Bella? Do I need to drag you back home?"

She shook her head even though he could see, "No-no. I'm just pretty tired lately. I haven't gotten a lot of sleep the last couple of days because of work and stuff." The excuse sounded lame even to her.

Jake was quiet for a moment considering his next words in deep thought.

"Did  _they_  contact you? Do we need to come over there Bella?" his tone was completely serious this time with the low undercurrent of worry and protectiveness.

"WHAT? NO! No, no it's not them. Trust me, I-I haven't heard from them in years." Her heart jumped into the ball of her throat and pounded thunderously. Her mind stupidly flashed back to the fiasco with her laptop, but she shoved the thought away. She tried to calm herself down by running her hand through her hair several times and taking a few deep breaths. The mere mention of them  _out loud_  tore down her walls faster than she was expecting.  _She was supposed to be_ over _this_. Bella took a couple quick breaths through her nose and out her mouth with her hand over the receiver. Jacob could still hear her reaction over the phone and grew more concerned.  _Maybe Bella shouldn't be alone right now,_ he thought.

"Bella, maybe you should fly back for a bit-"

She interrupted him, "No Jake.  _I'm_   _fine_. Everything's  **fine**."

He sighed deeply on his end.

"Just come back as soon as you see anything alright? We can't protect you over there." Bella was a little frustrated with his answer, but she could also understand where he was coming from. When she told everyone about her plans to go to Europe for the second time, there were a lot of outbursts and raised concerns.

"I know how to be safe Jake, but I'll let you know the minute if anything happens. I promise."

"Just look out for yourself Bella." He insisted a little chidingly.

She was touched by his concern. But really, she was  **fine**.

"I always do."

**_. •_ _ Ellipsis _ _• ._ **

Alice stood on the terrace that overlooked a small outcropping of the city in the distance. The dry cool night air blew softly against her unfeeling cold skin and ruffled the fashionable scarf she wore over her hair. The night was young with the last rays of the warm sun setting over the hot sand. The sky, although blotted out by blinding lights to human eyes, was filled with a myriad of colors and a scattering of infinite dead stars that could only be witnessed in the desolate desert climate. She turned her head as her mate entered the sandstone paved roof and closed his arms around her waist. He gripped her gently as he hummed contently in the material that covered her hair, both quietly enjoying this brief intimacy with another. As of late, these moments were few and far between, and both individuals craved the other's presence almost desperately. The only sound between the two was littered in the streets below as the notes floated upwards from the evening crowds and late night bars.

As the last ray of light vanished from sight, Alice turned in the arms of her mate and hooked her arms behind his neck, his own hands re-positioning themselves on the small area of her back.

She leaned into his neck and inhaled deeply, cherishing the way his scent wafted off the column of his throat. Jasper's lips tilted up slightly as he pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead. A few moments later his deep southern drawl broke the silence.

"Kebi and Amun took Benjamin out to hunt. They said they'd be back soon." He spoke in low, dulcet tones.

"Yes. I saw him speaking with one of his sources about news of Carlisle." Alice responded, already having seen the probable progression of the evening.

Jasper's worried gaze morphed into one of defeat and sadness in his concern for their coven leader weighing on the both of them.

"Still can't see his decision's clearly?" he mused and she nodded as she laid her head on his shoulder. There was no question as to the man of whom he spoke.

"He knows how to evade my visions, I can't even see Carlisle's future anymore." She said clearly distraught but also resigned. The first vision she had of Carlisle after his capture caused her to lock herself in a room alone for twelve whole days. She wouldn't let Rose or himself into the room, and so he stood-by helpless, feeling everything he wished his mate would  _never_  feel again.

"And Esme?"

She sighed, "The wives are treating her well enough. They bring her game every few days since she can't go outside. I think they consider it impolite to treat a guest with anything but the best care." She huffed out that last part. She knew better because every time she saw Esme's face filled with pain and longing for her mate, she knew that no amount of civility and politeness could erase those feelings. The only concession was Corin's drugging powers over her targets senses. It was the lesser of two evils she considered, rather than letting Esme suffer the same fate as Carlisle. But under this terrible façade, that was all it was- a cheap trick. A bargaining chip to entice the remaining members of their coven into the Devil's Nest to rescue their leader. "She's coping as much as she can, but I think it's wearing her down more than I'm allowed to see."

Jasper tightened his arms around her middle until there wasn't any space left between them.

"We have hope. Everything will turn out fine."

She knew that he didn't believe his own lie, only trying to reassure her as much as he could with words. A wave of contentment and love washed over her, and she stole away as much of the feelings as she could get from him. With his ability, there was no need for words because they were so intimately twined at the core of their feelings that they could spend hours of silence in each other's arms.

They stood there in the cold dusk of the night as statues locked in an embrace, their figures looking as if carved from the same slab of stone. It wasn't until sometime later when their hosts returned from their outing that the pair regrettably separated themselves, only their fingers remaining entwined as they descended into the central apex of the compound. Walking through a series of open aired halls and archways, all decorated with beautifully painted tiles of various shapes and sizes, they were met with three figures standing by a small indoor pool surrounded by many great columns made of marble gilded with veins of gold. The water in the pool wavered back to and fro in delicate patterns and designs, its curious movement only caused by the mere presence of a certain vampire was almost enchanting in itself. The lad smiled teasingly at them as he reached down and played with floating orbs of water between his fingertips. He sat a distance away from the party, only idly listening with half an ear as his maker greeted the incoming couple.

"You have been expecting us."

Amun spoke up as he guided the duo across the atrium, away from his family.

Alice's feet danced across the floor with fae-like dance movements, Jasper diligently following her lead with his arms tucked behind his back, ever the soldier. Once they stopped, Amun stood between them and his coven mates. Both were exceptionally powerfully gifted vampires that he greatly coveted from a distance, sometimes wishing he had sired them himself; but even as his esteemed guests, he regarded the two mostly with suspicion and paranoia, despite his fealty to Carlisle.

Alice immediately broached the topic at hand.

"Your source has new information." She stated plainly. This caused Amun's gaze to shoot away from Jasper's intimidating stance and immediately towards this waif-like creature. Out of the two, her gift unnerved him the most. His instincts screamed caution around the Major, but this woman could easily sneak up and catch anyone unaware. Her gift was almost as powerful as Benjamin's, and he himself for a time lusted after such power to add to his small collection. Such a  _jewel_  to hoard inside his hidden oasis. But upon being introduced to her shadow, that dream was almost killed instantaneously, when he felt the promise of killing intent underneath the other's golden stare. He had kept his distance since their arrival, bequeathing the pair the southernmost wing of his estate away from the main household. He only talked to them when the need was demanded, and in full view of his family so that he could protect them if need be. At present, Tia was missing; but Benjamin's insufferable companion spent her time engaging in trivial activities as it soon became apparent that their newest guests could not accompany her on her little outings, she grew bored. Kebi, as always, obediently followed his orders and kept an eye on Benjamin during these proceedings, making sure the boy was thoroughly distracted away from the two potentially dangerous immortals.

He met her too wide eyes with subtle hesitation, choosing his words carefully in disquiet. "There is no news or knowledge of the whereabouts concerning the mind reader of your coven. It seems he as quite successfully hidden himself away, even from my Demetri's tracking gifts." He gave great pause in thought to consider this possibility, "But now however, the three Masters have turned their eye on another matter that may or may not be related to the fate of your coven." He spoke slowly. The pair secreted a glance at one another, communicating something beyond his knowledge, only aggravating him further.

Jasper spoke up and stole away is attention from his little mate, "What are they after?"

Amun considered the pair for a moment before continuing, "There have been Rumors of increased newborn activity spanning across the European continent and parts of Russia, that have raised concern in most vampire circles, even outside the walls of Volterra. Mass-murders, disappearances, unparalleled destruction…" he left off and took in Jasper's widened gaze, the other almost dropping his guard in shock before the emotion was once more wiped from his features.

"A few others sensed the Volturi's hesitation to handle the matter themselves and are beginning to question their authority. My informant inside Volterra has informed me of quite the opposite, and that Aro has personally invested himself in his investigation. His reasons, however, remain unknown." Both vampires looked dismayed at the lack of intel they received, confused as to how newborns could be related to their dilemma.

"Was there anything else?" Alice queried beseechingly.

"The bulk of the activity has most recently occurred in the Romanian's territory. There are whispers that Vladimir and Stephan are building an army, but they are only speculative. Beyond this, I cannot help you. I have done all I can before this matter endangers my family." He bowed and left the duo to return to his mate and progeny.

Alice and Jasper stayed behind looking to one another for answers that neither possessed. In a matter of moments, the other Vampires left the room, leaving the pair behind to process the information they just had learned.

Alice paced about the edge of the pool while Jasper observed the now frozen mirrored surface.

"Do you think it could be-"

"No, I would have seen it."

Both knew better than to say any specifics in such an open area with four eager ears listening in. Outside of the previous Olympic Coven, only a handful of vampires knew of  **her**  existence, and Alice wanted to keep it that way.

"What about the Romanian coven? There could be some merit."

Alice shook her head, her mind sifting through other people's decisions and futures picture by picture. Nothing made  _sense_.

"I don't think so, both Vladimir and Stephan in their age while arrogant, are not stupid. They wouldn't risk using an inexperienced newborn army against the Volturi's forces. They prefer to cower and hide behind other disputing covens."

Jasper's frustration leaked over them both and Alice threw him a pleading look, causing him to apologize under his breath as he cleared the air between them. Alice paused in her pacing for a moment before she turned to him and asked, "Aren't Rose and Emmett staying in London?" He could see the gears slowly spinning in her head.

"Yes, I believe so. And?"

"If we don't know what we're looking for then maybe we need somebody who can find it for us."

**_. •_ _ Ellipsis _ _• ._ **

Rosalie Hale was sitting outside a little café in the heart of London pretending to sip at her cinnamon soy-bean latte, reading back and forth between a battered copy of Jane Eyre and a wedding editorial in  _Vogue_  magazine. Other patrons looked at her oddly as she flipped inhumanly fast through the different reading material, yet  _also_  managing to play with a game app on her phone on the side. She shifted often in her dusty brown leather trench coat and royal blue Louboutin stilettos to 'appear' more human, also adjusting the very dark sunglasses on the bridge of her nose every now and again. No one dared to approach the life-like goddess, not even the waitress, as she enjoyed her mid-morning outing in the dreary English weather.

She was forced to set her book down when her phone began to ring, still idly flipping through the gloss covered pages as she brought the speaker up to her ear like a normal human. Nothing in her demeanor changed as she listened intently to the serious voice on the other end, only outwardly portraying only a vague interest in the one-sided conversation as she examined her perfect nails. The only words that escaped her mouth at the end of the call were "I'll see what I can do," before she ended it with a press of a red button. She neatly tucked away her belongings in the inner workings of her jacket and called for the waiter to pick up her card. She left the establishment, quickly dialing away a very  _private_  number, puzzling one of the staff members as they picked her untouched coffee cup and a raspberry scone.

**_. •_ _ Ellipsis _ _• ._ **

Bella closed her apartment door and descended down the hallway with very carefully measured steps in her one-inch heels to a pair of old looking, faded orange elevator doors. It was probably partially the reason they broke down so much, despite Bella being only one of two occupants who used them. Once stepping inside, Bella observed the old-fashioned ironwork that laid behind the 'newer' outer layers. The recess lighting peeking out just  _barely_  between the bars that crossed the ceiling. A cage inside of a cage. Her current train of thought on the matter ended early when the doors reopened to the lobby leading outside. Around the corner on the left, she would find the landlady's door tucked away from sight, with the faint smell of cat hair and the sound of old forties jazz swaying out from underneath the wood panels.

Exiting the deathtrap, Bella's steps slowed to a stop as she gazed into the downpour through the only window above the door. The light outside cast an eerie luminescent glow on the yellowed-peeling wallpaper, the shadows of running water dripping down Bella's shocked face. Quickly foregoing the elevator all together, she raced up the back stairs to her apartment in search of her only umbrella. Tearing apart her living room and checking underneath her bed, she still could not find the damn thing. Glancing at the clock on the stove, she cursed when she saw she was running late. Going back to her closet, she tried to find an appropriate jacket for the weather that didn't clash too badly with her current ensemble, worry growing more and more in her features when she couldn't find her go-to protector,  _where is it!?_  All she could find was an ugly eighties teal, purple, and lime green combination raincoat with puffed shoulders, that long-ago belonged to one of her terrible parents (she couldn't remember which), who gave her said jacket in hopes to hide their shame forever  _buying_  such a monstrosity. Shrugging out of her original sheer outerwear, she tugged the offensive material over her shoulders and cried out when the zipper jammed not even one quarter up the front. It was also missing its detachable hoodie, and she fumbled with the material as she made her way back downstairs, ending up tugging the coat halfway over her head so that she could at least protect the effort she put in her hair.

Down once more in the lobby, Bella hobbled over to the front exit in a rather good impersonation of a multicolored Troll doll and grasped the handle trying to cover as much of her exposed form as possible. But before she could unlock the latch, another form burst inside bringing in half the tide with them, nearly causing Bella to fall back ungracefully to the floor. Her yelp of shock and fear informed the intruder of her presence, and they reached out slippery hands to help steady her shoulders lest she stumble and fall. Her right-side one again blossomed in pain and she gasped out loud at the dull throbbing in her shoulder and ribs.

"Hey, are you hurt?"

Her head snapped up at the familiar voice, she flinched when she met the gaze of none other than Dr. Michael Corvin. Needless to say, she was absolutely embarrassed and no doubt her face flushing at maximum potential. What was he doing here? She opened her mouth to speak but was cut-off as he pushed her over to the lone chaise lounge in the corner of the room. He began to rattle off standard medical questions, and she pushed away his efforts with an annoyed huff of air.

Bella looked him directly in the eye, ignoring the way both of his widened in recognition, and snapped. "I'm fine really. Just had a bad exercising accident a few days ago."

He looked increasing bashful at his mistake of not immediately recognizing someone from his work. "I'm really sorry Ms. Swan. I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going and could have caused you further injury." He did look really remorseful and Bella, despite avoiding humans in general, could give the guy a break for an honest accident.

"Don't worry. Neither of us got hurt, so I would call this situation a success." She gave him a lame thumbs up, quickly standing up and staring at the door. Lightning flashed outside and a few seconds later thunder followed. She swallowed some spit, not exactly thrilled about traveling in the raging storm outside. Michael went to the elevator and pressed the button, and as he waited he covertly stared at the girl's shrunken form.  _That coat is pretty… vintage_ , he thought before something else came to mind-  _She's going to be soaked through in seconds!_ He debated on his next course of action before following up with another question.

"Are you waiting for a ride?" he assumed it would have been the sensible thing to do himself that night, but unfortunately he'd left his wallet and ID at home.

Bella briefly glanced over at him, then turned her head back to the window, "No, I was kinda hoping for it to calm down some before heading out." At this, the wind howled and pelted the rain harder against the building. They both winced. Great.  _Now I'm definitely going to be late_. Bella let out a long drawn out sigh and shifted her weight to the other hip and tugged her coat closer to her shivering body. It was cooler in the lobby, and when she and Michael collided some of the colder water droplets landed on her bare legs, now dripping uncomfortably into her shoes. He curiously analyzed her again before asking;

"Do you have an umbrella?"

It was Bella's turn to look down at her feet in embarrassment and admitted that she lost the article somewhere in her apartment in her rush to leave. He stared at her with new understanding as he took in her formal dress wear and clean makeup.  _Right, wasn't she invited to that convention?_

Priding himself on being ever the gentlemen, Michael held the elevator door and said, "I hope I don't come off the wrong way, but there's no way you were gonna make it in just that… coat," he started off. She turned to him indignantly, probably ready to spout some nonsense about how her plan to go there and walk in that  _Hell storm_  was a sane idea, and he stopped her right there, "I can call you a cab? It would make me feel better for almost barreling you over a second ago."

Bella opened her word trap again to politely refuse is his offer, never have been one to accept charity- "You don't have to. I wouldn't want to impose-,"

He insisted, "I can't let you go out there in good conscience," Suddenly his face brightened just a little as a lightbulb turned on in his head. "How about this; you let me call a taxi, and I'll convince Adam to stop following you around at the hospital?" he lifted his brows almost teasingly and Bella turned her blushing face in another direction. She really didn't want to do this, but what he offered sounded very enticing. She weighed the pros and cons, then begrudgingly nodded her head ignoring the victory on his face as he held the door for her.

They both climbed into the elevator, comfortable silence between the two as they ascended the floors. Michael made sure to stand a respectable distance away while Bella's stiff form betrayed her emotions at the moment. The doors binged before they opened, and Michael led Bella down the to the last door on the left, the numbers  _ **510**_  engraved in a circle of jaded brass.

It took him a minute to fumble with the old set of locks, the door creaked loudly as the pair entered the apartment. Michael switched on a lamp in the corner and shrugged off his leather jacket, and Bella glanced around the living area. It wasn't too different than her apartment, the size was a little bit bigger, but everything looked to be in the same place. When Bella looked up the building's history after she moved in, she curiously found out that in the early 1600s it was used as an old mining factory for Mercury and Silver that supplied the surrounding villages, then was later converted into a Hotel in the 1800s to accommodate the growing population. The overall style of the rooms carried roughly the same layout and theme, although updated throughout the years between different owners. It was located in one of the older districts populated with fewer people, but also saw a higher rise in crime in its seclusion. Bella knew how to take care of herself, no longer jumping on random strangers bikes, and didn't mind being alone. It was quite the coincidence that someone she knew would move into her building, of all places. Surely a doctor would have better means to pick somewhere less-  _edgy_ , than this place. Bella looked over at Michael as he swept through a yellow pages and dialed a number on a landline that no one else beyond the elderly had anymore. Strange. He noticed her look and smirked lightly, the laughter not quite reaching his eyes. He lifted the wireless to his ear and said, "My grandfather willed me the place, and I haven't had the time to buy a cell phone here."

Bella mutely nodded and turned to observe some of the old frames hanging on the walls, feeling a little embarrassed at her rude behavior. She could hear him give the service the address and the receiver ask for his card information, causing Bella to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid another argument.  _Perhaps she could buy him a weeks' worth of lunch in the future?_  She turned back and focused on the painting in front of her; it was an older piece, obviously poorly taken care of by the paint chipping away here and there, and she guessed it was probably pre-renaissance but couldn't place the exact era with the lack of appreciation for such art. It depicted a dark forest surrounding small villages aflame in the background, riddled with dark shadowy forms dragging the habitants by their neck or limbs into the tree line. Down in the right corner showed a lone creature standing on two legs with an elongated snout and fur much like a wolf, baying to the moon with black streams of blood running down its maw and claws. Under the cliff-face that the creature stood, was a small army of knights in glittery silver armor and giant swords impaling the monsters and villagers alike, she leaned in closer and took note that the knight's eyes almost shone in the dark. The yellows and silvers glaring out at her in what she could only describe as contempt. In the middle of the painting stood a monastery with Jesuit priests digging graves for the dead and singing prayers over those possessed by demons. It was a grueling painting for sure, and Bella was swept away in the terrified faces and horrific situations drawn in explicit detail. It wasn't until Michael coughed awkwardly that she jolted from her stupor and backed away from the wall. She rubbed her arm in discomfort, unable to forget the images that raced through her brain. Michael one again distracted her from her increasingly disturbing thoughts.

"Uh, it should be here in about 15 minutes. They said there'd be a delay because of the rain."

Bella turned just as awkwardly back to him, giving him apologetic smile as she stated she was grateful he was helping her out. He waved her off and said it was nothing. He looked back at the painting she observed previously and took in the frightening landscape with a small look of disinterest and melancholy. He didn't look at her when he began speaking, "I'm sorry about the painting. I inherited this along with everything else my grandfather left me. When I came to visit as a kid, he liked to scare me with stories about the paintings around the place. Said they were passed down from father and son in the family for centuries, so I can't rid myself of them without a guilty conscience." He finally turned back to her with sad eyes, and Bella felt a pang of empathy in her chest.

"My condolences." There wasn't much else she could say, she wasn't as close to her own grandparents to feel the same loss he did.

He just shrugged nonchalantly, "It was a long time ago."

The silence that followed could be cut with a knife, and Bella was desperate to change the mood.

"So when did you move here? I haven't seen any other tenants in this place since I'd moved-in…"  _Like, at all_. Bella was curious about the new arrival so to speak as she had almost no human contact outside of school and work. She wasn't lonely. Nope. Just  _curious_.

He shifted around in his spot, choosing to lean against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Almost two weeks ago, I think. I chose to come here a little early to clear the place before the position became available." His mouth went into a straight line and Bella could tell there was something else he didn't want to say. She understood that look, wearing it herself for a few years herself after the  _incident_. She nodded mutely without giving away that she guessed that he was running away from something too. " _The eye is a faithful interpreter_ …" she couldn't remember where she heard the quote, but it rang true. Some scars are only visible to those who also possess them.

Bella turned to the window, noting that the rain had lessened considerably into a light drizzle.

"It looks like it's finally clearing up…" she stated abruptly. He twisted his body to face the window before nodding and disappeared in the kitchen. He came back with a small water bottle and threw a friendly smile in her general direction.

"Well, I take it you have a party to get to –Isabella…?

She accepted the offering with some poise and gave him a tentative smile in return, "I prefer just Bella. And thank you, tonight would have been a disaster if I had gone out in that mess like this." His tanned skin contrasted with hers so drastically it was almost comical as their finger brushed against each other.

"No problem, Bella. Just knock on my door if you ever need anything. If I'm not home, then I'm probably at the hospital…" he stated, his face heating up at the small bit of information he gave of not having a personal life. Bella just took it in stride knowing she was just as pathetic, at least he had the excuse of just moving to the area.

"Same. I'll see you later?"

He gave her a little wave as she walked out of his apartment, "Yeah, later!"

**_. •_ _ Ellipsis _ _• ._ **

The cab stopped to rest at the front entrance of the  _Pesti Vigadó_ , Bella bidding the driver farewell as she stepped out of the vehicle onto the wet brick-work. She carried a small clutch and her jacket under her arm and walked around the fountain area outside the doors. Bella rubbed her bare shoulders but stiffly withstood the chilled night air as she made her way inside. A valet held the door for her, and once inside she was immediately greeted with a warm cloud of soft chatter underlined with a beautiful combination of classical music. Another worker politely retrieved her coat and disposed of it in one of the offshoot rooms' on the first floor, handing her a ticket with her name and an eight-digit number. She stood in awe inside the entrance hall, overwhelmed by the grand staircase and opulence of the architectural work that lined the walls and ceiling. A few couples and other strays from the party monopolized the steps and hidden corners only dimly lit by intricately designed globe sconces', the golden glow ethereally reflecting across the shadows of their faces. She took in the state of their attire, tossing a careful glance at her own; she almost wished she had been properly informed of the dress code for this particular event. While dressed in one of the nicest articles of clothing she owned, Bella's outfit could not even be compared to the extravagant evening gowns donned by the wives for their rich husbands. She almost felt naked in their presence in the gap of social etiquette.

Her nerves fluttered around her stomach as she followed the banister to the second level, walking around the balcony to a small outcropping of guests hoarding around a set of double doors. She squeezed her way through as quietly as she could, earning a few disgruntled and angry glares thrown her way, before emerging on the other side, finally arriving in the main ballroom. The open area was crowded with deep red round tables with six chairs each, littered with small candles and large floral centerpieces with bleached looking branches, red amaranths, and white roses. To the side of the room in the gallery were a few tables packed to the brim with fruit and refreshments, an intimidating tower of champagne glasses stacked in the center, and a chocolate fountain on the far end, enticing Bella with its rich familiar scent. The center of the room was left clear for couples as they span in circles to a waltz, standing parallel to the long stage at the far end of the room with a lone standing podium.

Bella stood awkwardly in the mingling crowd, signaling a waiter with a tray of sparkling champagne over to her, gratuitously sipping down the contents to calm down the sudden fluttering in her stomach. Sounds of small discussion and the unexpected boom of laughter built up around her senses and made her feel uneasy. Taking another sip, she cast several looks around the surrounding flock for a familiar face. Most Bella did not recognize, guessing from their expensive clothes and company that she never would have if she hadn't decided to show up tonight. A few, Bella noted, looked foreign, but not in the usual way; although some were fair, they were unusually pale and grey looking. They traveled in packs, the partners and couples clinging to each other in an almost carnal way, kissing the inside of their companions' wrists with tender touches- wait was that  _tongue_?  _What the hell…?_   _This is a_ public _space for crying out loud!_  Bella couldn't tear her gaze away from the way a brunette man licked up the vein of the gentleman beside him, almost  _hungrily_ , and watched the others mouth fall open just slightly, letting out an inaudible moan to Bella's ears. The act was too scandalous for such a public setting, and Bella shifted her arms around herself uncomfortably as she felt her face flush at the erotic display of affection.

She glanced away for a moment of reprieve before looking back only to meet the brunette's striking yellow-green gaze. The color shocked her out of her previous state when she was suddenly tapped on the shoulder.

Bella turned around too quickly to fully hide the rose in her cheeks and she met the quizzical gaze of the Hospital chairman, accompanied by a young handsome couple. She discreetly tried to right herself and cast a small smile at the chairman praying to any god who might be listening that they didn't catch her ogling the other guests. She stole a quick cursory look of the couple standing opposite her, and could not believe her luck of meeting people who crushed any sense of self-confidence she possessed. The woman was beautiful with her light-gold hair pulled away from her face, pinned down with a very expensive jeweled ornament that matched her diamond earrings. She very thin in stature in a way that even most supermodels would be jealous of, wearing a very see-through lace gown that clung to her curves in a mermaid fashion, and extenuated her waist almost to the point of anorexia. She clung very closely to the male at her side, not paying attention at all to either her or the Chairman's presence quite rudely, only casting lustful adoring gazes at her escort. Her companion towered over Bella, his dark hair and light blue eyes a stark contrast to his pale, almost glowing, skin. He wore an expensive dark tailored suit with edges so finely pressed that looked sharp enough to cut if she ran her finger over them. He stood with a studied air of poise and self-importance with his nose far up in the air, but also with an almost threatening undertone and something else she could not quite put her finger on…

The chairman approached her with a small wave of his silver embossed cane and an eager smile.

"Miss Swan, you are a vision this evening! I am glad to finally catch you. I would like to introduce you to a few of the hospital's investors- I present  _Lord Kraven of Ördögház_ ; this is Miss Isabella Swan, the young one I mentioned before…" he gestured to the tall imposing male, failing to mention the pretty blonde hanging off his arm almost intentionally as both males only had eyes for Bella. The blonde seethed with anger, digging her claws into the material of Lord Kraven's jacket. She opened her rosy lips to teach the humans some manners when her master cast her a deathly glare that did not go unnoticed by Bella. She lowered her head like a rebuffed child, and remained quiet and docile with clenched fists, as Kraven removed himself from her clinging grip to gift a dry kiss to the back of Bella's hand.

"It's my pleasure to finally meet the woman Vladimir has spoken so highly of." She shivered at his touch, the feeling rising bile from her stomach to the back of her throat as she studied the greed in his eyes that entered his eyes at their contact. He seemed almost reluctant to let her hand go as he stepped away as he smirked almost lasciviously in her direction. As soon as her hand was surrendered, Bella discreetly slid her palm across the back of her dress, trying to erase the evidence left behind.

"The pleasure's mine." What  _lies_. Bella hoped that her smile was convincing.  _Was this the person he so desperately wanted her to meet? How disappointing_. She tried to ignore his stare as Vladimir directed the conversation back to its original purpose, eyeing Bella like some prize he wanted to flaunt.

"Miss Swan's research is at the forefront of breaking through the barriers of genetic evolution, isn't that quite right Isabella?"

The defensive mechanisms in Bella's brain lit up like a Christmas tree at the mention, but she stuffed down the fight or flight instincts she felt since the beginning of the conversation as she tried to come up with a vague answer to her  _future_  boss.

"Y-You give me too much credit Sir. I'm hardly the best example- I myself have only theories whilst others have been studying the field for years." She tried to push some of the spotlight off of her and lead the conversation to other well-known scientists.

The Chairman shook his head, swinging the hand that wasn't holding the cane over her shoulders, pushing her ahead of him and closer the Lord Kraven.

"You underestimate yourself Isabella. I have never seen such promise from one of our students! Do you not agree Lord Kraven?"

Kraven's gaze weighed heavily on Bella for a few moments, as if assessing her value more like a marketable object rather than a human being, looking her up and down. Bella frowned slightly and met his disinterested glare with one of her own, but when her chocolate orbs met his frozen azure ones, Bella felt the tell-tale sensation of the hairs on the back of her neck raising. For a second she couldn't move, almost frozen in his icy stare as her heart beat wildly in her chest before falling to the bottom of her stomach. The moment was over when he suddenly smirked down at her as if he witnessed something funny and he straightened his back to stand back upright. She felt the air in her lungs give way in a rush and felt the weight fall off her shoulders.  _What was that?_  When did he lean down? Whilst Bella recovered, Kraven eyed the human with mild interest- the fear she felt when she met his gaze was only a small taste of what most humans would endure if they crossed him. When Vladimir brought up the subject of a new rising star, he only listened with half an ear until he was greeted with this small delicate morsel. He eyed her unimpressive dress and her subtle curves with little interest, but when she challenged him her heartbeat sped up dramatically sending little torrents of her scent to his nostrils. As soon as he inhaled, he was bombarded with one of the most unique and intoxicating scents he's come across in decades. Only very few humans that some covens bred in secret as pets could compare to this delicious creature. He smirked in satisfaction when her pupils began to dilate and the panic reached her eyes.  _A brand new toy_ , he thought. He would humor his compatriot with his schemes for power and wealth, but the human girl would only be his in the end. For as long as she would last, it seemed.

"It would be a very  _pleasurable_  opportunity for all parties Miss Swan. I'm sure my fellow owners at  _Ziodex_  would also agree to any projects in your heart's desire when you decide to join us in the future." He curved his thin lips just so into a borderline lascivious grin and she shivered in revulsion.

Bella leaned further back into the hand that held her in place, determined to get as far away from these individuals as much as possible. She simply nodded back to any other comments thrown her way as the two gentlemen parried words. The blonde at the dark predator's side kept throwing her non-discreet glares her way that spoke volumes of jealousy and hate. She looked as if she was ready to end Bella's life right there. Her head was still swimming from other perceived threats that she blankly shrugged it off. Thankfully soon after, one of the curators stood on stage and announced the dinner would commence in a few moments and advised the other patrons be led to their tables. Vladimir and Bella finally splintered away from Kraven and his vicious pet to their own table filled with two older couples that leaped into a friendly conversation with Chairman. Bella sat back quietly nursing a small glass of water as she let her eyes cruise the room once more. They were closer to the stage, on the left-hand side and out of the way, giving her a clear view of the other tables. The Room quieted as the announcer introduced a few speakers and other charities, in between the waiters brought out their meals on silver trays with others filled with crystal flutes of champagne. Bella meagerly tip-toed around her lobster with greens no longer feeling quite hungry in her appetite, her stomach twisting and turning with fear and apprehension.

Casting a glance over her shoulder, she peered around the room but did not see Kraven or any of the unusual guests she discovered when she arrived. The seats were filled with the same ilk as hers, ordinary people dressed in extravagant clothing listening idly to the speaker whilst enjoying their own quiet conversations.

Her phone began to buzz in the pocket of her small clutch, and Bella tried to discreetly examine the small lit screen under the table.

"I'm sorry I have to take this…?" she politely asked her escort, and he waved her away turning back to the man at his side, speaking low giddy tones about some vacation or another.

Bella clung to the shadows feeling for a door until her hand grasped a handle, and she dove out the side exit. She passed a few workers who threw several strange looks her way until she turned down another vacant hall, only lit with bright moonbeams chasing through the floor to ceiling windows. She cursed when she realized she'd already missed the call by the time she got away, and quickly pressed (+1) and redial. It rang a couple of times before going to voicemail and Bella grumbled under her breath. Ending the call, Bella was sent back to the home menu when she saw she had a voicemail and immediately opened it up. Charlie's voice echoes in her ears statically in a far-off manner as if he was in a small room with a lot of echo.

" _Hey Bells. I didn't want to ruin your weekend or anything, but I just wanted to let you know I'm gonna be in the hospital for a couple of days. There was a small accident, Sue's fine, but I busted my leg and they want to keep me in for observation for a couple of days. I didn't want you to worry about me, but Billy and Sue insisted I call you. I'm fine. Just a few bumps and scratches besides the cast. So keep on studying or whatever you're doing over there and call either Sue or Billy if you want to talk to me. I love you, catch you later_."

Bella hung up and dialed Sue's number, anxiously biting her nails as it rang out in the dark corridor.

 _Dammit, voicemail_.

She tried several times before switching to Billy's number hoping that someone would answer. She paced back and forth on her third try until on her final turn she unexpectedly bumped into a sold body mass.

Unable to catch herself this time, Bella crashed to the floor at an awkward angle, her ankle twisting itself painfully. She gasped aloud and reached for the injured area and looked up at the looming figure towering over her. He didn't move to help her and stood rather menacingly a few feet away as she reached for her cell phone.

"Can I help you?" Bella ordered. He remained quiet as he stared down at her and the sense of panic Bella felt earlier began to build up in her stomach. She tried getting a good look at him again and couldn't recall seeing him at the party, nor would he have belonged there with the way he was dressed; a long trench coat and raggedy clothes underneath accompanied by an awful stench. She couldn't see his face but tried to memorize his height and the muted features she could observe in the dark.  _Tall. Over six feet. Light skin. Short dark hair. Smells like a sewer_. Behind her, at the end of the hall, she heard a door close and looked over her shoulder to see another man in a dark suit turn the lock before looking towards the pair. Or more accurately  _ **her**_.

Her blood ran cold.

Bella hurriedly scooted back on the floor to the wall to stand up and run, but halfway there the brute slammed his forearm against her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs before she could scream out for help. The action was followed by another blow to the head against the ornate filigree on the wall's wooden panels and Bella let out a soundless gasp as tears flooded her vision.

Her head was spinning and she could feel the wet blood run down her face as she tried clawing at her attackers face in full survival mode when she heard the click of a gun against her temple. She helplessly hanged frozen in the brute's arms as his partner held the gun pointed at her head.

Her eyes desperately searched the hall for her phone or her purse which held a can of pepper spray her father bought her, but couldn't move her head enough to see the ground in the man's grip. A few seconds passed as they maneuvered her in their arms, making sure as they opened a secret side panel that she couldn't run and that no one else witnessed her abduction. They dragged her down the dark passage and she could hear as they passed the ballroom still filled with music and mindless chatter.

They jerked her as they turned around another corner and she stumbled on the invisible ground, one of her shoes coming loose. The brute hauled her back up and pushed her roughly forwards as the trio continued their path down the narrow corridor, her heel left behind in the fray.

…

Up ahead Bella couldn't anything past the shorter of the two assailants but the dark, and was blinded when a door was opened to a back alley brightly it by a floodlight over the door. They pushed her onto the cobblestone street, the lone sole of her barefoot harshly grating against the wet rock. A heavy fog rolled over the roads giving her kidnappers a convenient cover in the misty night air. The brute behind her guided her to the alley's opening near a parked car. The smaller one quickly hopped into the driver's seat as Bella struggled against the other's hold as he tried to push her into the vehicle. With a new bout of strength, Bella flailed and wiggled her free limbs violently, kicking her legs back blindly against her captor and hitting anything she could. As his insistence to push her into the vehicle grew, so did her anger, and she threw back her head as hard as she could into his face until the soft tissue around her skull made contact with his nose. Lights clouded her vision and pain blossomed in her brain rendering her immobile. He angrily shoved her face down into the back seat and slammed the car door loudly behind her. As she was getting her wits about her, she could hear him curse loudly as he rounded the vehicle to the passenger side door. The metal groaned when he opened it and he bent down to get inside but stiffened when a call rang out in the cool night air. A figure approached the car armed with a flashlight and their hand resting over something on their waist.  _Was it a policeman!? Thank god!_  Bella perked up considerably and tried slowly sitting up in the back seat to gain his attention, but the driver barked at her to stay down on the floor with his right hand over his pistol. She obeyed and cowered behind the passenger seat shaking in fear, praying that the other individual would notice something amiss.

She could hear the brute's heavy footfalls against the wet pavement as he approached the other man and said something too low for her to hear. The other man sounded more suspicious and speculative in his rebuttal, and she could see the beams of his flashlight bounce off the vinyl material of the seat cushions. She stayed down listening to the quiet conversation outside, her last hope fading faster and faster from her future and leaving a sickening twist inside her gut. She had to choke down a sob when she heard the brute coming closer to her side of the car and opening the door. The light from the street lamp flooded the vehicle and illuminated Bella's shivering form in the seat. The man outside shouted something and pointed the flashlight into her eyes and revealed her bloodied face. The driver barked orders to his partner, and the other man jumped out of his seat and lunged towards the officer. The man raised something, a baton? And tried to swing at the madman, but was too late as he was grabbed by the neck with sharp claws and the brute leaned down to his shoulder.

The screaming was instantly halted as fast as it begun and quickly turned to a rough gurgle as the brute bit down into his victim's neck and ripped apart the shiny tissue. Bella looked on in horror as the stranger's life was quickly drained out of him, spraying onto the slick pavement. The driver began shouting something, shocking Bella out of her daze and she crawled towards the other end of the back seat, away from the horrific scene playing out before her. A sudden idea hit Bella square in the chest as she observed the driver and the brute outside in terror as they argued over the corpse. Bella squirmed out of the seat, waiting for the perfect moment, and watched in slow motion as the man in the front seat take his hand off the gun.

In a split second, she opened the door and bolted.

She raced down the street, kicking off her remaining shoe, and turned down a dark corner as soon as she heard them running after her.

Running off of adrenaline, she willed her body to jump over crates and knocked-over trashcans in the dark, the sound of her heavy breathing and her bare feet slapping against the concrete ringing in her ears.

She went around another corner and ran into a dead end. Turning around she backtracked and found a tall wire fence separating the street and the alley. She tried to free climb the barrier, but her ankle throbbed painfully at her. Panicking, Bella looked around, not bothering to look behind her, and found an old wooden crate. She began to push it through the mud close to the fence before she ambled on top, exhaustion quickly rushing back to her muscles. The damp wood creaked and bent inwards when she pushed herself over the fence, pieces splintering off into the battered skin and rubbing against the metal as she climbed before she turned her body around and climbed down. The last foot, Bella accidentally let go- her dress snagging on one of the chain-links, and she fell hard on her backside. Groaning in pain, she pushed herself up and ran to the street, briefly leaning against a cold brick building as she decided which way she would go. In the distance she spotted a small neighborhood up ahead and quickly walked towards it, trying to avoid street lamps and stuck towards the shadows.

She passed silently as she could through what she guessed was an undeveloped area that had been cleared beforehand, but the local wildlife and overgrowth had slowly claimed it back, leaving tall grasses and rotting fences in its wake. Bella ignored the cold wind and small drizzle as soon it began to start, only trudging on closer and closer to civilization. She could no longer hear if the men were still stalking her, and she didn't know whether or not she should be relieved at the fact. The further she traveled in the dark, the more lost and helpless she felt, but she stubbornly kept up the punishing pace on her tired and weak body.

In the distance, she could hear dogs barking, and she tried to walk faster down the dirt path. A loud whine cried out sharply to her right in the grass and she froze when she heard the sound of movement. Breathing hard she willed her body to move, but it wouldn't respond.

The quiet that followed was almost deafening to her ears. The wind blew the dark shadows of the leaves, the moon painting everything in a surreal black and white greyscape. Even the blood in her veins seemed to pause in this perfect still picture, her face darkly contorted in terror.

The wind shifted, blowing her matted tresses across her temple, and her heart stopped when she heard a low rumble raise up from the brambles  _just a few feet in front of her._

Bella as hard as she could, screaming out in a raspy voice when she spotted a huge  _monster_  tumble out onto the road where she just was standing. It bounded behind her, closing the gap quickly on four feet and then two, as it reached out with long claws towards her. Coming upon an abandoned building, she tried to run faster through the yard and ducked under a broken window.

Halfway through it grabbed her leg, yanking her to the ground as it tried to drag her into the night. She turned and kicked its blackened skin with her other foot, aiming carelessly for its snout and sharp teeth as she pulled and pulled for her leg free.

She made the mistake of looking into its glass orbs and lost six inches of ground. It snarled back at her and swung its other claw at her head, missing only by a short breath's distance.

It let out a deafening roar and tightened the grip on her leg, its long talons cleaving the soft flesh and letting out small rivers of blood. Bella cried out in agony. She desperately thrashed and wiggled, the slippery liquid running down to her swollen ankle giving way to the monster's bruising hold.

With one final kick, she slipped away into the darkness of the empty house, trying to find somewhere to hide. She tripped on pulled up floorboards and broken glass and looked around blindly for some cover and spotted a cupboard under the stairs, hoping by some chance it would lead to a basement.

She slid and shut the door behind her, holding a hand over her mouth to mute her cries- breathing too hard through her nose to quiet her exhales. The pain in her leg distracted her, and she grasped the wound with white knuckles to try and stop the bleeding. A soft sound of creaking wood stilled her movements, and she sat frozen on the floor between boxes as a shadow passed over the door. She waited with baited breath as the shadow lingered, her brain going dizzy from the lack of oxygen. It waited there for what seemed like forever, Bella crying internally wishing this hellish nightmare was over before the shape began to shrink back away into nothing. Powerlessly, her breath unevenly hitched, and the shadow returned. She cursed herself. She tried scooting back further into the corner as the door was wrenched open and she screamed when a pair of hands reached out to grab her.

Bella fought valiantly against their hold, but lost when she felt a sharp prick in the back of her neck and caught the faint glimmer of dark eyes before she passed out.

**_. •_ _ Ellipsis _ _• ._ **

**Author's Note:**

> (Originally Posted on FanFiction.net. I'm a terrible person when it comes to updating. Working on Chapter V)


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